1 of 2 | Department of Homeland Security released images in February of the first flight of alleged criminal immigrants, who were all part of Tren de Aragua, a violent criminal organization from Venezuela, preparing to depart for Guantanamo Bay. File photo via Department of Homeland Security/UPI |
License PhotoMarch 16 (UPI) — The Trump administration said it deported hundreds of criminals from the United States for their alleged involvement with the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, officials announced Sunday.
The deportations came despite a judge’s order Saturday night blocking President Donald Trump‘s move to use the Alien Enemies Act, which has only been used three times prior, to transport the immigrants out of the United States. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s ruling ordered the planes, which the administration said were already in the air, to return to the United States.
The judge said the temporary restraining order would remain in effect for 14 days “or until further order of the court,” CNN reported.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, quickly announced that he would draft articles of impeachment against Boasberg after the judge issued the restraining order, which drew the support of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom Trump named to unofficially oversee the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, a quasi governmental agency which has not received Congressional approval.
“Necessary,” Musk wrote on X after Gill announced his plans for impeachment of Boasberg.
The migrants were sent to El Salvador, where the United States is paying $6 million dollars to keep them imprisoned, according to El Savador’s President Nayib Bukele.
“Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable),” Bukele posted on X. “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the United States also “sent 2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador. Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars.”
The 1789 Alien Enemies Act was designed to bypass the traditional immigration rules and allow for the rapid deportation of people deemed criminals.
