First immigrants deported from America arrive at 'world's worst prison' as Trump goes against judges orders
Approximately 250 alleged offenders have been sent to El Salvador's infamous mega-prison as President Donald Trump pushed forward with the contentious action. The large-scale removal was executed under an obscure 18th-century wartime rule, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The rarely-used legislation was previously employed in the US to establish detention facilities for Japanese, German and Italian nationals during World War II. Yet Trump has sought to reactivate it to enable mass expulsions of non-US citizens accused of gang membership or criminal activity without legal proceedings.
According to an executive directive signed by the President shortly after assuming office, the US faces an "invasion" of immigrants connected to organized crime.
The group of migrants transferred to the high-security Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) appears to have been moved under this provision after Secretary of State Marco Rubio negotiated an agreement with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.
Bukele, who strongly supports fighting gang violence in the Central American nation, posted images and videos showing the accused handcuffed individuals arriving and being guided from the aircraft to the detention facility. On Twitter, he stated hundreds of the arrivals belonged to the Venezuelan criminal group, Tren de Aragua.
"The United States will pay a very small fee for them, but a high one for us," he wrote. "Over time, these actions, combined with the production already being generated by more than 40,000 inmates engaged in various workshops and labor under the Zero Idleness program, will help make our prison system self-sustainable. As of today, it costs $200 million per year."
Bukele additionally stated the US delivered 23 MS-13 members "wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders," bringing the total number above 250.
A federal judge attempted to stop the deportation while the flight was already in the air, according to VT. The Trump administration insisted their actions were legal.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: "A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from US soil," as reported by Sky News.
"One of them belongs to the criminal organization's highest structure," Bukele added. "This will assist us in completing intelligence collection and pursuing the final remnants of MS-13, including its former and new members, money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors."
The president concluded by saying the country, working with the US, will continue "advancing in the fight against organized crime" while making its prison "self-sustainable."
"May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States," he finished.
Trump also praised the action, posting on Truth Social to describe the deportees as "monsters" who had been allowed into the US under Joe Biden and the Democrats.
"These are monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats," he declared. "How dare they!"
"Thank you to El Salvador, and in particular President Bukele, for your understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States because of Democrat leadership. We will not forget," Trump continued.
