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Venezuelan Migrants Deported to El Salvador Despite Court Order, Held in Bukele’s Mega-Prison

A group of Venezuelan migrants, accused of being members of the infamous Tren de Aragua gang, have been deported from the US to El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to CECOT, the country’s high-security mega-prison.

Their removal has sparked controversy, as it defied a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the deportations. This raises concerns about whether the Trump administration bypassed legal restrictions to push through the removals.

Arrival in El Salvador: Shackled and Shaved

Videos released by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government showed the migrants arriving under heavy security. Shackled and with their heads bowed, they were escorted off a plane by heavily armed officers.

Inside CECOT, they were forced to kneel as guards shaved their heads before locking them in cells.

Bukele, a close ally of Trump, reacted sarcastically to their arrival on social media, posting:

 

 

“Oopsie, too late.”

His comment, reported by AP, was seen as a direct jab at US court efforts to stop the deportations.

Trump’s Use of the Alien Enemies Act Sparks Backlash

The deportations were executed under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used wartime law that allows the removal of foreign nationals deemed a security threat.

Trump’s administration classified Tren de Aragua as an "invading force," using this as justification to expel Venezuelan migrants without due process.

However, no concrete evidence has been presented linking the deported individuals to the gang, raising serious concerns about misuse of the law to target Venezuelan migrants arbitrarily.

Court Battle Over the Deportations

A US District Judge, James E. Boasberg, issued a restraining order on Saturday evening to halt the deportations.

However, by the time the order was issued, two planes had already taken off—one heading to El Salvador, the other to Honduras.

While Boasberg verbally instructed officials to turn the flights around, his written order did not explicitly include that directive, allowing the deportations to continue.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which led the lawsuit against the deportations, is investigating whether the government violated the court ruling.

“We asked the government for assurances that it followed the ruling, and we are still waiting for answers,” said Lee Gelernt, the ACLU’s lead attorney.

Venezuela Condemns Deportations as Human Rights Violation

The Venezuelan government has strongly condemned Trump’s actions, calling them a violation of human rights.

“This evokes the darkest chapters of history, from slavery to Nazi concentration camps,” Venezuela’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, El Salvador’s government confirmed that among those deported were two top MS-13 gang members, arrested in the US alongside the Venezuelan migrants.

The deportations mark a new chapter in the ongoing debate over immigration, human rights, and executive power, with legal and diplomatic battles far from over.