President Donald Trump is facing accusations of defying a court order by deporting hundreds of alleged ‘Venezuelan gang members’ to one of the world’s most notorious prisons.
The 78-year-old Republican previously voiced his intent to send convicted criminals of any nationality to El Salvador’s infamous ‘mega-prison,’ a high-security facility where inmates are denied visitation rights and never see the outside world.
Inmates remain in a cell at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held, in Tecoluca, El Salvador
Over 200 suspected members of a Venezuelan criminal organization have been flown to the Central American country, despite US District Judge James E. Boasberg issuing a temporary halt to the deportations, which were carried out on Saturday, March 15.
The order followed Trump’s attempt to use an 18th-century wartime declaration to facilitate the deportation of the alleged gang members.
After Judge Boasberg informed the Trump administration that his ruling required all flights to be stopped for the time being, attorneys notified him that two flights were already in the air. One was heading to El Salvador, while the other was en route to Honduras. Despite the verbal directive, the planes were not turned around.
US President Donald Trump and President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador pictured back in 2019
On March 16, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador responded on Twitter to a post about Trump disregarding court orders, writing: “Oopsie…Too late.”
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement insisting that Trump and his administration “did not refuse to comply with a court order.”
Sharing news of the new arrivals on social media, Bukele posted: “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, where they will be held for one year (renewable).”
“The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.
“Over time, these efforts, along with the output from more than 40,000 inmates involved in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustaining. Currently, it costs $200 million annually,” he stated.
He added, “This time, the U.S. has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran authorities, including two leaders. One of them is part of the highest tier of the criminal organization’s structure.”
“This will assist us in completing our intelligence efforts and targeting the remaining factions of MS-13, including its former and current members, as well as their money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors.”
He continued, “As always, we are making progress in the fight against organized crime. But this time, we are also supporting our allies, making our prison system self-sustaining, and gathering crucial intelligence to make our country even safer—all through one action.”
He concluded with, “May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.”
