Trump Administration Deports Venezuelan and Salvadoran Immigrants Under Controversial Alien Enemies Act:

A White House official briefed a Washington Post journalist on Sunday claiming that over half of the 261 migrants who were deported to El Salvador on Saturday were expelled from the country via the wartime powers statue known as the Alien Enemies Act. This comes after suspicion that the Trump administration might have bypassed a court’s order to stop the use of the statute for streamlined deportations.

According to the Washington Post, President Donald Trump issued a secret proclamation on Friday that allowed for the speedy deportation of any Venezuelan aged 14 and older suspected of being associated with the Tren de Aragua gang using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. This resulted in 137 individuals being deported to El Salvador under the proclamation, which a White House official corroborated but did not wish to be named.

As the official continued, the other deportees included 23 MS-13 linked Salvadorans and 101 Venezuelans who were deported under different federal regulations.

On Saturday, Judge James Boasberg paused the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act that permits the removal of immigrants without a hearing. He also ordered officials to ensure that all planes with those individuals are sent back to the US. His ruling was made after advocates claimed the administration was putting the deported individuals at risk and breaking legal boundaries.

Trump's administration made the decision to show video footage that assisted in legally violating the court order, showcasing immigrants in shackles being escorted off planes in El Salvador and into a mega-prison at night.

Alongside a laughing emoji, Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador wrote “Oopsie, too late” on X (Formerly Twitter). U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted, along with a White House staff posting “Boom!” on a meme.

Bukele claimed that El Salvador is headed in the right direction after receiving 238 suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang accompanied by more than twenty presumed MS-13 affiliates from the US. He then proceeded to post on social media a video showing heavily armed personnel clad in camouflage leading the prisoners off the plane to buses for the mega-prison, revealing shaved heads to the cameras. In addition to that, El Salvador was also relieved to hear that the US is taking full responsibility for their expenses.

Rubio shared on X, “In gratitude of the friendship and support, thank you president Bukele.”

Trump later posted the video on social media and said, “Thank you, president Bukele for your help in resolving this terrible situation.”