Donald Trump successfully outmaneuvered an Obama-appointed judge to send even more criminal migrants to a notorious El Salvadoran prison over the weekend. District Court Judge James Boasberg issued a ruling earlier this month blocking the Trump administration’s mass deportations of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members – arguing that the president wrongfully invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act to justify the removals.

But on Sunday, officials sent another plane carrying 17 alleged gang members to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center under Title 8 of US immigration law – and not under the Alien Enemies Act, according to Fox News. The title deals with ‘Aliens and Nationality,’ and states that the federal government has broad authority to deport migrants present in the United States illegally if they have been given deportation orders through the immigration courts.

White House officials have since confirmed to Fox News that all of the suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang and MS-13 who were sent to the prison on Sunday had deportation orders or final orders of removal. Among the deportees were 12 with criminal convictions, one who was a self-admitted gang member and three who are still facing criminal charges. They were all originally from either Venezuela or El Salvador, and had entered the United States illegally. Prior to their plane ride to El Salvador on Sunday, they were being held at the United States’ new migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the successful deportation effort in a post on Monday. ‘Last night, in a successful counterterrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 operations, including murderers and rapists,’ he posted on X. Rubio went on to note that Trump declared the two gangs to be Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and said they ‘will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens. ‘Once again, we extend our gratitude to Nayib Bukele and the government of El Salvador for their unparalleled partnership in making our countries safe against transnational crime and terrorism.’

Bukele, the president of El Salvador who came to power vowing to fight rampant crime, also shared a minute-long video showing the suspected gangsters arriving at the Terrorism Confinement Center. It shows troops escorting the prisoners from a huge plane on the runway at night, forcing them to run in handcuffs before loading them into a car. Officials at the jail facility then roughly push their heads forward and shave their scalps before grabbing them by the neck and leading them to their cells. The prisoners can be seen wearing all-white with their arms chained behind their backs as they’re crammed together in a tiny jail cell.

‘All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child [expletive],’ Bukele wrote in a caption beside the video. ‘This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.’ President Trump later shared the video on his Truth Social platform, thanking Bukele ‘for taking the criminals that were so stupidly allowed, by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, to enter our Country, and giving them such a wonderful place to live!’ It appears the US president was being facetious in his remarks, as the sprawling mega-prison has been accused of human rights violations.

Cristosal reported last year that at least 261 people had died in El Salvador’s prisons during the gang crackdown. The group and others have cited cases of abuse, punishment and lack of medical attention. The facility, which can hold up to 40,000 inmates, are also crammed into cells that are not equipped with enough beds for everyone. Under the United States’ agreement with Bukele, it will pay the El Salvadoran government $6 million for one year of services at the facility. But back home, the Trump administration is facing multiple legal battles over its deportation efforts.

It failed to get a federal appeals court to lift Boasberg’s order putting a pause on deportations last week, and in fact, the District Court judge extended his restraining order against the use of the Alien Enemies Act on Friday. At the same time, he is also seeking more information about the Trump administration’s deportation flights on March 15 to determine whether the administration defied his orders to block the flights, according to NewsNation. The planes were already in the air when Boasberg’s order came down, and administration officials argue that he only verbally ordered the plane to return to the United States, but never included it in his written order.

Administration officials are now reportedly also refusing to hand over any information about the planes’ takeoff times, citing ‘state secret privilege.’ Meanwhile, lawyers for several of the people who have been deported have denied gang associations and pushed back on claims that their tattoos established their membership. Boasberg has said the five plaintiffs are entitled to due process and that deportees must have the chance to argue why they are not subject to Trump’s actions taken under the Alien Enemies Act.

The Supreme Court has now asked the attorneys for all five Venezuelans to respond to the Department of Justice by Tuesday morning, while Boasberg set a hearing for Thursday to determine whether the Trump administration violated his court order. Still, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt vowed on Monday that the Trump administration will continue to go after criminals living in the United States illegally. ‘Every day, America becomes safer thanks to the leadership of President Trump,’ she said before warning: ‘If you’re an illegal terrorist or criminal – the Trump administration is coming for you.’

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