The Trump administration over the weekend deported hundreds of suspected gang members to El Salvador’s mega-prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center or (CECOT).
Why It Matters
The administration has denied violating U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg’s order temporarily blocking deportations under an 18th-century wartime declaration aimed at Venezuelan gang members.
On Sunday morning, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that 250 alleged members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua (TdA) gangs were deported to El Salvador, despite the judge’s directive to pause removals and return any planes carrying deportees.
TdA and MS-13 have been designated as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
The U.S. government’s decision to deport these individuals raises significant legal and human rights concerns. By invoking the rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the administration bypassed traditional legal avenues, prompting accusations of executive overreach. Furthermore, the conditions at CECOT, a prison known for its harsh environment and mass incarceration practices, have drawn international scrutiny.
What To Know
This action carried out by the Trump administration, involved individuals allegedly linked to violent criminal organizations, including Venezuela’s TdA and the notorious MS-13. Despite legal challenges, the deportations proceeded, sparking concerns over the legality of the process and the treatment of detainees at CECOT.
The migrants were expelled after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a law used only three times in U.S. history during the War of 1812 and World Wars I and II. This legislation grants the president the authority to detain or expel foreign nationals if the country is officially at war, bypassing usual protections under immigration and criminal laws.
Trump justified its use by alleging that the gangs were infiltrating the United States.
Originating in a notorious Venezuelan prison, TdA emerged amid the migration of millions of Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse. MS-13, also known as “Mara Salvatrucha,” is believed to have been founded as a neighborhood street gang in Los Angeles in the mid-1980s by people fleeing civil war and violence in El Salvador.
Despite these claims, the Trump administration has not disclosed the identities of the deported migrants, presented evidence linking them to TdA or MS-13, or proven they committed crimes in the U.S.
The Trump administration will pay El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s government $6 million for one year of services in a deal arranged by Rubio.
Video released by El Salvador’s government on Sunday showed men disembarking from airplanes onto an airport tarmac where officers in riot gear stood in formation. The men appeared to have shackles at their hands and ankles.
The footage also captured their transfer to CECOT in a heavily guarded convoy of buses, escorted by police, military vehicles, and at least one helicopter. Upon arrival, the men were shown kneeling as their heads were shaved before being dressed in the prison’s all-white uniform.
The CECOT prison has been central to El Salvador’s aggressive crackdown on gang violence since Bukele took office in 2019. The prison is designed to hold up to 40,000 inmates, many of whom are mass murderers, drug traffickers, and members of notorious gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18.
Situated in Tecoluca, about an hour from San Salvador, the massive prison complex opened in January 2023 after being constructed in just seven months. Its design and operations embody a harsh approach to incarceration, housing inmates in large, windowless cells equipped with only basic amenities—tiered metal bunks, an open toilet, and a cement basin. Each cell can fit 65 to 70 prisoners.
Personal items, books, or even letters from family are banned. Prisoners spend 23.5 hours a day locked in their cells, with a brief, 30-minute window for exercise or religious activities in a central hallway. Meals are basic, consisting mainly of beans, rice, and plantains, with no meat served.
The government does not provide regular updates on prison populations, however, the human rights organization Cristosal reported that as of March 2024, El Salvador had 110,000 people incarcerated, including convicted individuals and those awaiting trial. This figure is more than double the 36,000 inmates reported by the government in April 2021.
Last year, Cristosal reported that at least 261 people had died in El Salvador’s prisons during the gang crackdown. The organization, along with others, has documented cases of abuse, torture, and inadequate medical care.
A group of 2,000 detainees are moved to the mega-prison Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT) on March 15, 2023, in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
Presidencia El Salvador via Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Tom Decker, a former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New York field office director, told Newsweek: “Foreign gangs, especially the TDA are a dangerous threat to the United States. By evoking the alien enemies act, President Trump is following through with his campaign promise to protect the citizens of the United States.”
Hannah Flamm, International Refugee Assistance Project’s (IRAP) interim senior director of policy, said in a statement: “The mass internment of people during World War II on the basis of their ancestry has long been recognized as one of the most shameful chapters in this country’s history. The use of this archaic law to once again try to justify mass detentions, xenophobia, and human rights abuses is deplorable and shocking. Tren de Aragua is not a nation, the United States is not at war, and immigrants are not our enemies.”
She added: “The invocation of the Alien Enemies Act is part and parcel of the Trump administration’s attempts to weaponize the law to characterize all immigrants as criminal ‘enemies’ and to deprive them of fundamental rights. Further, the Trump administration’s violation of a federal court order is profoundly alarming. The American public and the justice system will not be fooled by this cruel grandstanding.”
John Farbrioctee, a former ICE field office director, told NewsNation: “President Trump is trying to use this act to get rid of transnational criminal organizations, predatory gangs.”
President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social: “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.”
What Happens Next?
A hearing is scheduled for Friday to determine whether the judge’s injunction on the Act will be extended.
The judge’s decision to temporarily block deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 could spark a high-stakes legal showdown with the Trump administration, potentially leading to a U.S. Supreme Court review.
The Associated Press’ reporting contributed to this article.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
