World Immigration News

US deports 250 alleged gang members to El Salvador despite court ruling to halt flights

Release Date: 2025-03-16
Media: The Guardian
Summary: The US deported over 250 alleged gang members, mostly from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, to El Salvador, despite a US federal judge temporarily blocking deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. This law, invoked by former President Donald Trump, is intended for wartime use and has been controversial. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele confirmed the arrival of 238 Venezuelan gang members and 23 from the Salvadoran MS-13 gang, who were placed in the country’s "terrorism confinement center," part of a deal where the US pays El Salvador for their detention.

The deportations continued despite the judge’s ruling, and El Salvador’s government was praised by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Alien Enemies Act, used only three times before, was invoked by Trump to deport suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the US recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

Human rights groups have criticized the mass deportations and the harsh conditions in El Salvador’s mega-prison, where thousands of prisoners, many held without legal process, are confined. Despite the US and El Salvador providing no immediate evidence of the deportees’ convictions, the policy has been part of Bukele’s tough stance on crime, which has significantly reduced El Salvador's murder rate but drawn international criticism for human rights abuses.
Tags: USA

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