Donald Trump was in high spirits on Sunday (16 March) after a plane touched down in El Salvador carrying suspected members of a Venezuelan gang.
An order was passed by the Trump administration to send 238 supposed criminals to a mega-prison in El Salvador, despite a federal judge ruling against the order.
However, this decision was made when the plane was already in international airspace, with the administration denying it had disobeyed anyone.
Trump was able to deport the alleged members of Tren de Aragua due to an 18th century law which was intended for wartime, as the US government claimed the country was facing an ‘invasion’ from a criminal organisation that had ties to kidnapping, contract killings and other organised crimes.
The immigrants were swiftly taken to El Salvador’s maximum security Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) after a deal was struck between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President, Nayib Bukele.
The facility, which was opened in 2023, is one of the largest prisons in the world which currently houses tens of thousands of people accused of having gang affiliations.
Bukele took to social media to share pictures and videos of the inmates as they were handcuffed and herded off the plane to a highly-guarded convoy.
He wrote that the ‘first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organisation’ had landed and that ‘the United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.’
Bukele added on Twitter: “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.”
The inmates’ heads were shaved by guards, as the presence of the alleged criminals in the US was blamed on Joe Biden and the Democrats by Trump, who took to Truth Social to confirm the move.
He wrote: “These are monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats. How dare they!”
The 78-year-old went on: “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 Democrat leadership.
“We will not forget.”
The Trump administration utilised a law from 1798 to deport the alleged criminals (El Salvador Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump denies any wrongdoing amid judge’s ruling
The Trump administration denied that it violated a court order by deporting the Venezuelan immigrants, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement.
She claimed that federal courts ‘have no jurisdiction’ over the president’s foreign affairs.
The statement added: “A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from US soil.”
Rubio has since claimed in another statement that ‘hundreds of violent criminals were sent out of our country’, adding: “I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador for playing a pivotal role in this transfer.”
Meanwhile, Trump has gone as far as claiming that the Tren de Aragua gang has ties to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Trump claims he did not disobey any court orders (El Salvador Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The president’s order means that any Venezuelan citizen that’s 14 or older within the US that’s determined to be a member of the gang can be ‘apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.’
He claims the gang has been involved in ‘mass illegal migration’ to the nation, aiming to cause harm to citizens.
In defence of his order, the president stated: “Over the years, Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organizations, including TdA.
“The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States, and which poses a substantial danger to the United States.”
‘A concrete and steel pit’
As for the prison, CECOT is known for its inhumane conditions, as an overcrowded facility where violence is ever-present and inmates face harsh treatment, crammed in their cells.
Food on offer is minimal, with items like beans and pasta available, while inmates are made to fight over food and water.
Miguel Sarre, a former member of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, previously described the prison as a ‘concrete and steel pit’.
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