Trump Pays El Salvador $6m To Imprison 238 Venezuelans Deported By U.S

More than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan criminal gang deported from the U.S. to El Salvador have arrived in the country, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced on Sunday.

The U.S. had agreed to pay El Salvador $6m to imprison 300 alleged members of Tren de Aragua for one year, according to the AP news agency.

Confirming their arrival, Bukele said the 238 alleged gang members were placed in a high-security prison, where they are expected to remain throughout the agreed one-year period.

U.S. President Donald Trump had on Friday invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a gang linked to crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, and contract killings.

However, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., temporarily blocked the law’s enforcement on Saturday, ruling that it applies only in cases where a foreign country engages in “hostile acts” comparable to war.

Despite the ruling, Bukele confirmed that the alleged gang members had already arrived in El Salvador and were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Centre, with a capacity for 40,000 inmates.

The exact timeline of the deportations remains unclear, but a social media post by Bukele suggested the flights had already landed before the judge’s order took effect.

Reacting to the ruling, Bukele posted on X: “Oopsie…too late.”

However, the Trump administration has filed an appeal against the judge’s ruling at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in a post on X, stated that the deported included leaders of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha, (Ms-13) group, an international criminal gang and terrorist organisation.

“We have sent two dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador,” he said on Sunday

“Also, 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. President @nayibbukele is not only the strongest security leader in our region; he’s also a great friend of the U.S. Thank you!” he stated.

The Alien Enemies Act, previously used to justify internment camps for Japanese, German, and Italian individuals during World War II, allows the Trump administration to bypass U.S. immigration courts for expedited deportations.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government condemned the move, calling the law “anachronistic” while arguing that it violated migrants’ rights.

Trump Pays El Salvador $6m To Imprison 238 Venezuelans Deported By U.S is first published on The Whistler Newspaper