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The Trump administration announced on Sunday that hundreds of individuals were deported after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.

This wartime authority, rarely used in U.S. history, was leveraged to expedite the deportation of migrants associated with the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.

However, this move came despite a federal judge's temporary restraining order issued Saturday evening. The judge had specifically directed that deportation flights in progress should return to the U.S., ruling that the temporary order would remain in effect for 14 days "or until further order of the court."

DHS Arrests Nearly 300 Alleged Gang Members

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that, following Trump’s directive, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested nearly 300 members of Tren de Aragua over the weekend. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio supported the administration's actions, announcing earlier Sunday that "hundreds of violent criminals were sent out of our country" in response to Trump’s order.

Rubio also expressed gratitude to El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, for agreeing to imprison the deported individuals. According to Rubio, Bukele had specifically requested the return of two leaders of the MS-13 gang, as well as 21 other Salvadorans held in the U.S., so they could "face justice in their homeland."

 Erik Prince, a longtime Trump ally, has been in discussions with Bukele since last year about El Salvador accepting undocumented migrants deported from the U.S. in the event of a Trump presidency. While the specifics of Prince’s involvement remain unclear, his communications with Bukele suggest that Trump’s deportation strategy had been in the works well in advance.

“Oopsie...too late” Rubio Agrees

Despite the federal judge’s order halting the deportations, Rubio later posted on X that the U.S. had successfully deported "2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador." He added that the administration had sent "over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua," who were now being held in El Salvador’s prison system at a cost-effective rate for U.S. taxpayers.

Bukele appeared to mock the court ruling by sharing a news article about the judge's decision, captioning it, "Oopsie…too late." Rubio subsequently reposted Bukele’s remark, seemingly endorsing the sentiment that the administration had outmaneuvered legal obstacles.

Alien Enemies Act in Effect 

Republican Senator Mike Rounds, appearing on CNN’s "State of the Union," said he expects the executive branch to follow the law. He acknowledged uncertainty about whether the Trump administration had complied with the court order.

He also says he believes the Alien Enemies Act will be popular with Americans.

"We don’t know if that happened that way," Rounds said when asked if the administration had defied the judge’s ruling. However, he supported using "every legal means" to deport alleged criminals, arguing that public safety concerns outweigh procedural issues.

"I think most Americans are going to say, ‘I don’t care how old the law is if you can use it to get these guys out and keep my family safe, we’re going to do it,’" he added.

Democrats Call for Immigration Reform

On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law. He also warned against the potential consequences of the administration’s aggressive deportation policies.

"All of us within the Democratic Party, we oppose illegal immigration. We believe that if you’re a violent felon, you should be deported. But we also can’t go down this road that the Trump administration is taking us on—potentially deporting American citizens, deporting legal and lawful permanent residents, and breaking up law-abiding immigrant families who are contributing to this country," Jeffries said.

He reiterated the need for "comprehensive" immigration reform to address concerns without violating legal protections.

El Salvador’s Prison Crackdown

El Salvador’s brutal crackdown on crime has led to the suspension of constitutional rights like due process. More than 80,000 individuals have been arrested over 1% of the country’s population.

 While Bukele acknowledges that some innocent people have been detained by mistake, he maintains that such "collateral damage" is necessary to transform El Salvador from the "murder capital of the world" into one of the safest nations.

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Cecot: A Prison for Deported Gang Members

With a capacity of 40,000 inmates, the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) is the largest prison in the Americas. It has become a symbol of El Salvador’s heavy-handed approach to crime, drawing criticism from human rights organizations for its harsh conditions.

Bukele announced Sunday that the deported members of Tren de Aragua had been transferred to Cecot "for a period of one year." A video posted to his social media showed the prisoners being led off buses, handcuffed, and having their heads shaved.

Reports indicate that inmates in Cecot are held in overcrowded cells, some containing up to 80 people. They sleep on metal bunks without mattresses, sheets, or pillows. They have access only to an open toilet, a cement basin for washing, and a plastic bucket for water. 

Prisoners spend 23.5 hours a day inside their cells, with only a 30-minute break for group exercise or Bible readings.