/
RSS Feed
The Trump administration deported hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador, even after a federal judge issued an order temporarily blocking the removals under an 18th-century wartime law meant to target Venezuelan gang members. At the time of the ruling, flights carrying deportees were already in the air.
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued the stay on Saturday, but lawyers informed him that two planes—one bound for El Salvador, the other for Honduras—were already en route. Though Boasberg verbally ordered them to turn back, the directive was not included in his written order, and the flights proceeded.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied accusations that the administration defied the court, arguing that the order lacked legal merit and was issued after the deportations had already occurred. Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, defended the move, calling those deported “bad people” and referring to the border crisis as “an invasion.”
The deportations were carried out under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used law granting presidents broad powers to remove foreign nationals during wartime. It was last invoked to justify the detention of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Trump’s decision to use the act is now being legally challenged, with critics warning it could allow mass deportations based on unverified claims of gang affiliation.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who agreed to detain 300 immigrants in his prisons for $6 million, responded to Boasberg’s ruling with a dismissive “Oopsie…Too late” on social media—an endorsement recirculated by the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also praised the move, stating that over 250 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang had been sent to El Salvador’s “very good jails.”
However, the administration has not provided evidence that the deported individuals were affiliated with the gang or had committed crimes in the U.S. Among those sent to El Salvador were also two top members of the MS-13 gang. Video released by the Salvadoran government showed shackled men being processed into the CECOT prison, a facility notorious for Bukele’s aggressive crackdown on crime.
Legal experts argue the administration violated the “spirit” of the court order, which blocked all deportations under the wartime act for 14 days. The Justice Department has appealed the ruling but stated it will not proceed with further removals under the proclamation unless the decision is overturned. A follow-up hearing is set for Friday to determine the law’s legality.
Judge Boasberg justified his intervention by emphasizing the need to ensure constitutional rights are upheld.
