The U.S. sent another group of suspected gang members to El Salvador. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that the group of 17 included "violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists." Rubio did not provide the names of the individuals removed or whether they were convicted of a crime in the U.S., Scripps News reports. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted a video on X showing a plane arriving in his country Sunday night. He said "all individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists." The video showed the individuals being removed from a plane and loaded onto a bus. They were taken to a high-security prison, where their heads were shaved and they were locked behind bars. This was the second time the Trump administration has sent suspected gang members to El Salvador. Last month, more than 240 individuals were transported to the notorious prison, where they will apparently be held for a year.
That deportation has faced legal scrutiny because it was done under the Alien Enemies Act, an obscure wartime law from 1798 that grants the president sweeping powers to deport noncitizens without a hearing before a judge. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg barred the deportations under that act and stated the Trump administration defied his orders. Last week, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to take up the case. Scripps News asked the Trump administration what authority it used to deport the 17 individuals. The Department of Defense would not specify. "The Department of Defense completed a successful counterterrorism mission this weekend, in partnership with El Salvador. We commend the actions of our military personnel to degrade Foreign Terrorist Organizations under the leadership of President Trump," a statement from Department of Defense Chief of Staff Joe Kasper said. Separately, the Trump administration acknowledged mistakenly deporting a Maryland man with protected legal status to an El Salvador prison but is arguing against returning him to federal custody in the U.S. because of alleged gang ties. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials admitted in a court filing on Monday night to an “administrative error” in deporting Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, 29, generating immediate uproar from immigration advocates, the Associated Press reports.
Comments