Trump administration deports 200 Venezuelans despite court order

Leavitt expanded on the administration’s stance, stating that the White House did not “refuse to comply” with the court order, asserting that the ruling was issued after the migrants had already been removed from US territory. She also said that federal courts lack jurisdiction over the president’s authority under the Alien Enemies Act and foreign affairs.

Court blocks use of Alien Enemies Act

A federal judge in Washington, DC, had earlier blocked President Donald Trump’s application of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law best known for its use in rounding up US residents of Japanese descent and placing them in internment camps without trial during World War II.

Trump had sought to use the Act’s seldom-used wartime powers to rapidly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion, and contract killings.

In a Saturday evening hearing, US District Judge James Boasberg blocked the use of the law for 14 days, saying the statute refers to “hostile acts” perpetrated by another country that are “commensurate to war.”

During the hearing, Boasberg said that any flights carrying migrants processed under the law should return to the US. His written notice hit the case docket at 7:25 pm ET (23:25 GMT).

Deportation to El Salvador

It was not immediately determine when the plane or planes carrying the deported Venezuelans landed in El Salvador, but footage published by the Salvadoran government showed men being hustled off a plane in the dark of night amid a massive security presence.

“Oopsie… Too late,” El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted to the social media site X above a headline, “Fed judge orders deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gangbangers to return to the US.” His statement was reposted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who later thanked Bukele for his “assistance and friendship.”

US President Donald Trump addressed the deportations on Truth Social, blaming former president Joe Biden and Democrats for the presence of Venezuelan gang members in the US.

“These are the monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats. How dare they! Thank you to El Salvador and, in particular, President Bukele, for your understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of incompetent Democrat leadership. We will not forget!” Trump wrote.

Legal fallout and responses

In a court filing on Sunday, the Trump administration said that “some” of the Venezuelans had already been removed from the US prior to the judge’s order, but did not provide any further detail or comment. It was not clear how many people that represented or under what circumstances they had been deported.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged Trump’s use of the act, has asked the administration to ensure that it has not removed any migrants in violation of the order, lead ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told Reuters. “If anyone was turned over to a foreign government after the court’s order, then we would hope that the US government would work with that foreign government to get the individuals back,” Gelernt said.

The 238 men—alleged members of the Venezuelan gang—were being transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a mega-prison that can hold up to 40,000 inmates, for a one-year period that could be renewed, Bukele said.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)

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