The United States has deported hundreds of Venezuelans, accused of being criminals, despite a court order to the contrary, sparking widespread condemnation from Venezuela. According to foreign news agencies, the US carried out the deportation of over 200 Venezuelans on Sunday, March 16, 2024, just hours after a federal judge issued an order blocking the move.
A plane carrying the Venezuelans arrived in El Salvador, with President Nayib Bukele stating on social media that 238 of them were members of the “Tren de Aragua” gang, while 23 others were members of the MS-13 gang. This deportation occurred just hours after US District Judge James Boasberg issued an order on Saturday to halt the deportations, which were carried out under a declaration by former President Donald Trump that invoked the 1941 Alien Enemies Act. This law allows the government to detain and deport individuals deemed a threat to national security without due process.
In a sarcastic post, President Bukele later wrote, “Oops… too late.” The deported individuals will be sent to El Salvador, as per a prior agreement, and will be transferred to a terrorist detention center (Cecot) for a year, with the possibility of extension.
Venezuela has strongly condemned the US for enforcing this wartime law, stating that it unfairly criminalizes Venezuelan migrants and evokes the darkest chapters in human history, drawing comparisons to the slave trade and Nazi concentration camps.
After learning that the plane had arrived in El Salvador, Judge Boasberg ordered the Venezuelans to be returned to the US. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Sunday, saying that the deportations were carried out under the 1941 Alien Enemies Act, without mentioning the court’s ruling.
Human rights lawyers, who filed a lawsuit against the White House, questioned whether the government had violated the court order. The US Department of Justice has since appealed the court’s decision, which was filed overnight into Sunday.
Source: BBC