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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.