The Trump administration announced on Sunday that it had deported hundreds of individuals from the United States, citing their alleged ties to the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.
The deportations proceeded despite a judge’s order issued Saturday night, which temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act—a rarely invoked law, previously used only three times—to remove the migrants.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the flights carrying the deported individuals should return to the United States, stating that the temporary restraining order would remain in place for 14 days or until further order of the court.
Push for Judge’s Impeachment
Following Boasberg’s ruling, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, announced he would introduce articles of impeachment against the judge.
The move received public backing from Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, whom Trump had informally tasked with overseeing the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, a quasi-governmental agency that has yet to receive Congressional approval.
“Necessary,” Musk wrote on X in response to Gill’s impeachment announcement.
Donald TrumpEl Salvador to Hold Deported Individuals
The deported migrants were sent to El Salvador, where the United States has agreed to pay $6 million to keep them imprisoned, according to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.
“Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country.
They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable),” Bukele posted on X. “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.”
U.S. Secretary of State Confirms Additional Deportations
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed on X that in addition to the Tren de Aragua members, the United States had deported two top MS-13 leaders and 21 of its most wanted criminals to El Salvador.
“As promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars,” Rubio stated.
The Alien Enemies Act
Originally passed in 1789, the Alien Enemies Act allows for the rapid deportation of individuals deemed criminal threats, bypassing traditional immigration procedures.