By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
The Trump administration faced backlash after transferring hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador despite a federal judge’s temporary order halting the deportations under an 18th-century wartime declaration aimed at Venezuelan gang members, officials revealed on Sunday. The ruling came as flights carrying immigrants were already en route.
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued the order on Saturday to block the deportations, but it was reported that two planes were in the air at the time, one bound for El Salvador and the other for Honduras. Although Boasberg verbally instructed the planes to turn back, they continued their journey as his directive was not included in the written order.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a Trump supporter who agreed to house around 300 immigrants in his country’s prisons for a year at a cost of $6 million, reacted to the situation by posting on social media, “Oopsie…Too late,” in response to news of Boasberg’s ruling, a post that was later shared by White House communications director Steven Cheung.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on the deportation, mentioning that over 250 immigrants, alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, were sent to El Salvador for detention. Steve Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, criticized the Trump administration for disregarding the court’s order.
The Department of Justice stated in court filings that some immigrants had already left the country by the time the order was issued on Sunday night. The department further revealed that they had appealed the ruling and planned to use alternative laws for deportations if the appeal was unsuccessful.
The deportations were carried out under Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a law rarely used in U.S. history that grants the president extended powers to detain or remove foreigners during times of war. This particular law had previously been implemented during the War of 1812 and both World Wars I and II.
The Justice Department’s response to the court’s order was met with criticism, with Venezuela’s government condemning the use of Trump’s declaration and likening it to some of the darkest periods in history, including Nazi concentration camps.
The deported immigrants were escorted to El Salvador’s CECOT facility, known for its strict security measures and controversial practices. The Trump administration’s actions were met with concern and legal challenges, highlighting the broader implications of invoking such wartime declarations for immigration enforcement.
The legal battle over the deportations is ongoing, with Boasberg scheduling a hearing to further examine the case and assess the constitutionality of the administration’s actions. The immigrants affected by the ruling will remain in federal custody pending further legal proceedings.
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Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela contributed to this report.
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