A plane transporting over 200 Venezuelans, who were deported by the United States, landed in El Salvador, apparently violating a US judge’s order. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced on social media that 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 members of the Mexican gang MS-13 arrived on Sunday. This came after a federal judge had blocked US President Donald Trump from invoking an ancient wartime law to justify the deportations. Bukele mocked the incident, stating, “Oopsie… Too late.” He added that the detainees were immediately transferred to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center for a minimum of one year, with the possibility of an extension. Bukele further mentioned that the United States would pay a relatively low fee for their arrival but a high one for El Salvador. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the gang members’ arrival in El Salvador and expressed his gratitude to Bukele, considering him the strongest security leader in the region. The deportations were originally halted by US District Judge James Boasberg on Saturday evening when he ordered a halt to the deportations covered under Trump’s proclamation, which relied on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. This law allows the government to detain and deport individuals who pose a threat to the country without providing due process. Judge Boasberg issued this order after learning that planes carrying deportees were about to take off. However, the action seems to have been disregarded as a video posted by Bukele shows individuals being escorted off the plane by armed officials with their hands and feet restrained, and then placed into the back of armored vehicles. In January, Trump had issued an executive order classifying Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9yv1gnzyvo