Trump Administration Faces Backlash Over Deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador

Over 200 alleged gang members were deported despite a federal judge's order, raising legal, human rights, and constitutional concerns.

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, citing national security threats.
The deportations proceeded despite a federal judge's order to halt them, with the administration arguing the flights were already in transit.
The detainees are now held in a high-security Salvadoran prison under a controversial U.S.-El Salvador agreement criticized for inhumane conditions.
Human rights organizations and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have condemned the actions, with Maduro formally protesting at the United Nations.
The administration is seeking the removal of Judge James Boasberg, who blocked the deportations, highlighting tensions over judicial independence and executive power.