US deports alleged gang members to El Salvador

By AFP
March 17, 2025
Alleged members of the Tren Aragua recently deported by the US government are processed to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, as part of an agreement with the Salvadoran government, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout image obtained March 16, 2025. —Reuters
Alleged members of the Tren Aragua recently deported by the US government are processed to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, as part of an agreement with the Salvadoran government, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout image obtained March 16, 2025. —Reuters

SAN SALVADOR: The United States flew over 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to be imprisoned in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele said on Sunday, after US counterpart Donald Trump invoked wartime legislation to expel the migrants.

The deportations took place despite a US federal judge granting a temporary suspension of the expulsions order, apparently as planes were already headed to El Salvador. Trump signed an order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Friday, but it was not publicly announced until Saturday.