In a contentious move, the U.S. government has deported 261 individuals, including alleged gang members, to El Salvador despite a judge's order for a pause. The White House asserts that the order was issued unlawfully after the deportations had already occurred, igniting debates about due process and the usage of the Alien Enemies Act.
White House Responds to Controversy Over Mass Deportations Amid Judicial Orders
White House Responds to Controversy Over Mass Deportations Amid Judicial Orders
The White House defends its recent mass deportations of alleged gang members to El Salvador, denying claims of violating a judge's order that aimed to halt their removal.
The White House has issued a staunch denial against allegations from human rights groups that it neglected due process by violating a judge's order during a mass deportation operation that took place over the weekend. This operation involved the deportation of 238 alleged Venezuelan gang members, as well as 23 individuals linked to the notorious MS-13 gang, from the United States to a prison facility in El Salvador.
The controversial deportations occurred even though U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had issued a temporary injunction aimed at halting the removal of these individuals. The White House countered that the judge's ruling was invalid and claimed it had been issued after the deportations were already conducted. Still, the government of both the U.S. and El Salvador has faced criticism for not publicly disclosing the identities or specific allegations against the deported individuals.
The deportation was notably announced by former President Donald Trump, who accused the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) of instigating significant threats against the United States. He invoked the Alien Enemies Act—an 18th-century law intended for wartime deportations—as grounds for the swift removals of a portion of the group. This law had not seen application in modern governance since World War II.
Multiple families of those deported have claimed that their loved ones have no affiliations with any gangs. Judge Boasberg had directed a 14-day freeze on the deportations after legal representatives informed him that flights with detainees had already departed. Reports indicated that he verbally requested those flights to return, although this order was not formally part of the written ruling.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that the administration did not disregard any lawful order, emphasizing that the deportees had already exited the U.S. before the judge's injunction. The Justice Department further declared its intention to appeal the ruling that questioned the legality of the mass deportations, stirring public debate over constitutional rights and checks and balances within the U.S. governmental framework.
Such actions have attracted scrutiny from rights groups. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the administration for leveraging a historical law to bypass essential judicial review, claiming that the use of this law in the current climate could prove perilous. Additionally, Amnesty International USA condemned the deportations as emblematic of a racially charged assault on Venezuelans, highlighting concerns over Trump’s immigration policies.
In a sharp response, Venezuela’s government condemned the U.S. for portraying its citizens as criminals while emphasizing that such sweeping measures unfairly target migrants. The series of deportations marks a significant escalation in Trump's long-standing efforts to combat illegal immigration, and they coincide with a strategy to bolster U.S.-El Salvador relations amidst ongoing concerns about gang violence.
