Dozens of immigrants have been sent to one of the world’s toughest prisons as the US President moves forward with deportations despite a judge’s ruling.
Around 250 individuals accused of crimes have been sent to El Salvador’s high-security mega-prison under an order from President Donald Trump.
This deportation was carried out under a rarely used law from 1798, the Alien Enemies Act, which was originally created for wartime situations.
The law was last used during World War II to detain Japanese, German, and Italian citizens in internment camps. Now, Trump has applied it to deport non-citizens accused of gang involvement or crimes without a court process.
An executive order, signed hours after Trump took office, claims that the US is facing an “invasion” of immigrants connected to criminal organizations.
The latest group sent to El Salvador’s Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) appears to be part of this order. The move was finalized after Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached an agreement with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.
Bukele has focused on reducing gang activity in El Salvador. He shared images and videos of the deportees arriving, handcuffed and escorted into the facility.
On social media, he claimed that many of the deported individuals were part of the Venezuelan criminal group, Tren de Aragua.
“The United States is paying a small fee for them, but for us, it’s a large amount,” Bukele said. “Over time, these actions, along with our prison labor programs, will make our system self-sustaining.”
Bukele also said that among the group were 23 MS-13 members wanted in El Salvador, including two leaders. He stated that intelligence from these individuals would help authorities track down other members, resources, and criminal networks.
The president concluded by emphasizing that El Salvador and the US will continue working together against organized crime while making the prison system self-sufficient.
Trump responded to the news on Truth Social, calling the deportees “criminals” who entered the US under the previous administration.
A federal judge attempted to block the deportation while the flight was already in the air. The Trump administration defended the move, claiming it was legally justified.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “One judge cannot control the movement of a flight carrying foreign criminals who have already been removed from US soil.”