Sun Mar 16 20:57:38 UTC 2025: ## Over 200 Venezuelan Gang Members Deported to El Salvador Amid Legal Challenges
**San Salvador/Washington D.C. –** Over 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were deported from the United States to El Salvador on Sunday, despite a temporary restraining order issued by a US federal judge. The deportations were ordered by President Donald Trump, who invoked the controversial Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime measure used only three times previously.
El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele confirmed the arrival of the detainees, stating they were immediately transferred to CECOT, a maximum-security prison, for a one-year term (renewable). Bukele, who had previously offered to house US prisoners for a fee, said the US would pay a “very low fee” for their incarceration. Photos and videos shared on social media showed the men being transported in handcuffs and shackles, their heads shaved upon arrival.
The US government, however, defended the action. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated that President Trump was acting within his powers to protect the American people from an “urgent threat.” The Trump administration is appealing the judge’s temporary restraining order, which was issued just hours before the deportations began.
The move has sparked widespread condemnation. The Venezuelan government accused the US of criminalizing its migrants, while the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward filed suit, arguing the Alien Enemies Act is inappropriate for peacetime use. Concerns have also been raised about human rights violations within CECOT, a prison already housing approximately 15,000 members of El Salvadorian gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18. Critics fear that the influx of Tren de Aragua members could exacerbate the already volatile situation in El Salvador. The legality and ethics of the mass deportation, along with the conditions the detainees will face in El Salvador, remain highly contentious issues.
First Piper 