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Saturday afternoon, Obama-appointed Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the D.C. Circuit responded to a lawsuit by the ACLU, and ordered that two planes deporting illegal alien Venezuelan gang members turn around and bring them back to the United States.
The lawsuit was over 5 Venezuelan illegal aliens believe to be on board the planes. However, the planes actually were carrying a total of 261 illegal alien criminals and gang members, and the flights were NOT turned around.
The Trump administration said they were not defying the judge’s order, but argued that since the planes were already over international waters, the order was null and void, Axios reported.
Trump used the Alien Enemies Act of 1789 to deport the majority of the alleged Tren de Aragua gang members. According to Fox News, the 261 illegal aliens were accused of crimes such as kidnapping, sexual abuse of a child, aggravated assault, prostitution, robbery and aggravated assault of a police officer, and included:
- 137 were deported via the Alien Enemies Act of 1798
- 101 were Venezuelans removed via Title 8
- 21 were Salvadoran MS-13 gang members
- 2 were MS-13 ringleaders and “special cases” for El Salvador
Where were they flown to? Straight to El Salvador’s notorious ‘mega prison,” called Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, which opened in 2023.
According to the Associated Press, the transfer to the El Salvador prison was done under an agreement for which the Trump administration will pay the government of El Salvador $6 million for one year of services.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted a video of the shackled gang members being hauled off the planes. He also shared the following statement:
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).
The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.
Over time, these actions, combined with the production already being generated by more than 40,000 inmates engaged in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustainable. As of today, it costs $200 million per year.
On this occasion, the U.S. has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders. One of them is a member of the criminal organization’s highest structure.
This will help us finalize intelligence gathering and go after the last remnants of MS-13, including its former and new members, money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors.
As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime. But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action.
May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.
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).
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
President Trump re-posted the video on Truth Social, and wrote, “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!”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced, “We have 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. President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the U.S. Thank you!”
We have 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…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 16, 2025
Here’s how the Trump administration had to conduct the deportation flights filled with illegal alien criminals and gang members before the leftist judge could stop them.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem reportedly “orchestrated” the deportation process. Axios wrote:
The timeline: The president signed the executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act on Friday night, but intentionally did not advertise it. On Saturday morning, word of the order leaked, officials said, prompting a mad scramble to get planes in the air.
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At 2:31 p.m. Saturday, an immigration activist who tracks deportation flights, posted on X that “TWO HIGHLY UNUSUAL ICE flights” were departing from Texas to El Salvador, which had agreed to accept Venezuelan gang members deported from the U.S.
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Hours later, during a court hearing filed by the ACLU., Boasberg ordered a halt to the deportations and said any flights should be turned around mid-air.
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At that point, about 6:51 p.m., both flights were off the Yucatan Peninsula, according to flight paths posted on X.
CLICK HERE to see the thread on X, as leftist immigration activists and flight trackers were following the flight.
El Salvador’s President Bukele mocked the judge’s order, writing, “Oopsie… Too late 😂.”
Oopsie…
Too late 😂 pic.twitter.com/nDHL6deLJq
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
Liberal media outlets are condemning the deportation flights. The Associated Press whined, “The Trump administration has not identified the migrants deported, provided any evidence they are in fact members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the U.S.”
What to know about El Salvador’s mega-prison after Trump sent hundreds of immigrants there. https://t.co/jfUiGd3Nym pic.twitter.com/cpAM2oJQtR
— María Teresa Hernández (@maritereh) March 16, 2025
The New York Times lamented, “The Trump administration has sent hundreds of Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador, pushing the limits of U.S. immigration law by carrying out the deportations seemingly after a federal judge ordered that the flights not proceed.”
The New York Times then promoted a statement by the Venezuelan government, condemning the deportations and claiming it “constitutes a crime against humanity.”
Further pushing out the Venezuelan propaganda, the Times wrote:
The statement compared the transfer to “the darkest episodes of human history,” including slavery and Nazi concentration camps. In particular, the government denounced what it called a threat to kidnap minors as young as 14 by labeling them as terrorists, claiming that the minors were “considered criminals simply for being Venezuelan.”
The NY Times is livid that Trump ignored a leftist judge who was protecting foreign gang members. Still waiting on their apoplexy over Biden ignoring the Supreme Court on student loan forgiveness https://t.co/zwj188GvJ7
— William Teach2 🏴☠️ I Don’t Really Care (@WTeach2) March 16, 2025
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) wrote, “While you slept, your government sent three planes full of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 thugs to the beautiful prisons of El Salvador. Thanks to the leadership of this administration—and our friend @nayibbukele — America is safer today than it was yesterday.
While you slept, your government sent three planes full of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 thugs to the beautiful prisons of El Salvador.
Thanks to the leadership of this administration—and our friend @nayibbukele—America is safer today than it was yesterday. pic.twitter.com/eO76KRqOuG
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) March 16, 2025
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released the following statement:
President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation Invoking the Alien Enemies Act regarding the Invasion of the United States by the Foreign Terrorist Organization Tren De Aragua, using his core powers as President and Commander-in-Chief to defend the American People from an urgent threat.
TDA is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth. They rape, maim and murder for sport. TDA is responsible for some of the most heinous crimes that have occurred on US soil in recent years, including the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray.
TDA is a direct threat to the national security of the United States.
This weekend, at the President’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security successfully arrested nearly 300 Tren De Aragua terrorists, saving countless American lives. Thanks to the great work of the Department of State, these heinous monsters were extracted and removed to El Salvador where they will no longer be able to pose any threat to the American People.
President Trump will always put the safety of the American People first — and he will never allow foreign terrorist enemies to operate on American soil and endanger our people. They will be found, restrained and removed — and their networks will be destroyed.
President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation Invoking the Alien Enemies Act regarding the Invasion of the United States by the Foreign Terrorist Organization Tren De Aragua, using his core powers as President and Commander-in-Chief to defend the American People from an urgent…
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 16, 2025
Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Saturday night ordered the Trump administration to cease using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for the deportation of migrants, and demanded they immediately return anyone it was expelling under the Act to the United States.
Just for good measure, Stephen Miller posted a copy of the 1798 Act which Trump used to conduct the deportations.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) March 16, 2025
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