Overview

• President Trump expressed willingness to send American citizens to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, despite acknowledging legal uncertainties around such actions.
• The administration has already deported hundreds of alleged gang members to the prison under a $6 million agreement, details of which remain undisclosed.
• A federal judge has blocked the use of the Alien Enemies Act for deportations and ordered the return of a wrongly deported legal U.S. resident by April 7, 2025.
• Critics have raised alarms over human rights abuses at the overcrowded CECOT prison and questioned the legality of outsourcing detention to a foreign country.
• Trump’s comments and the administration’s actions have intensified scrutiny over transparency, due process, and constitutional compliance.