WASHINGTON: The U.S. Transfers 17 More Inmates to El Salvador Amid Legal Controversy
In a surprising move, the United States has sent 17 additional prisoners to El Salvador, despite an ongoing legal battle surrounding these deportations. The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, shared a striking video of the transfer, showcasing the dramatic handover.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described these individuals as “violent criminals,” linked to two notorious gangs: El Salvador’s MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, both of which have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government. “These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens,” Rubio stated, expressing gratitude to President Bukele for his cooperation.
Rubio characterized the prisoners as including “murderers and rapists,” while Bukele took it a step further by mentioning that among them were “six child rapists.”
The social media video, styled like a Hollywood production, showed a U.S. military aircraft opening to reveal masked officers escorting the prisoners. The scene depicted men kneeling with their hands tied, their heads forcibly shaved before being placed into prison cells.
Rubio did not clarify the legal grounds for sending the prisoners back, as a federal judge has recently raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s use of an old law to facilitate such deportations without the usual legal processes. This law, known as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, has been invoked by Trump in his efforts to strengthen immigration control.
On March 15, a federal judge issued a ban on deportations linked to this act, just as several flights were prepared to transfer detainees to El Salvador. Bukele, known for his tough stance on crime and mass incarceration, responded with sarcasm on social media, suggesting that the judge’s ruling came too late to make a difference.
The Trump administration has appealed the judge’s decision, seeking to reinstate its authority for deportations, claiming it breaches presidential powers. However, the judge indicated that other avenues for deportation could still be pursued.
An earlier appeal by the administration was denied, with a judge commenting that the treatment of these deportees was notably harsher than that received by some historical figures during World War II.
