Trump deports Venezuelan gang to El Salvador despite Federal judge’s ruling, Prez Bukele reacts with ‘laughing emoji’

The Donald Trump administration has sent more than 200 Venezuelans back to a large prison in El Salvador, despite a federal judge's order for their return to the U.S.

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As reported by the Associated Press, the White House stated that it was not disregarding the court’s decision, but also claimed it was within its rights to bypass the judge's ruling.

Here are the top updates:

1. “A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier full of foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

What did Federal court say?

2. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., had previously blocked President Donald Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law infamous for its role in forcibly relocating U.S. residents of Japanese descent into internment camps without trial during World War II.

3. AP reported that Trump had attempted to invoke the Act's rarely used wartime powers to quickly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang connected to kidnapping, extortion, and contract killings.

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4. In a Saturday evening hearing, US District Judge James Boasberg blocked the use of the law for 14 days, saying the statute refers to “hostile acts” perpetrated by another country that are “commensurate to war.” During the hearing, Boasberg said that any flights carrying migrants processed under the law should return to the U.S. His written notice hit the case docket at 7:25 p.m. ET (23:25 GMT).

Here's how Venezuelan president reacted?

5. “Oopsie... Too late,” El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele posted to the social media site X above a headline, “Fed judge orders deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gangbangers to return to the US.”

6. Bukele followed the comment by a laughing-so-hard-I'm-crying emoji. His statement was reposted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who later thanked Bukele for his “assistance and friendship.”

Also Read: Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador and Honduras before court ruling could stop them

7. In a court filing on Sunday, the Trump administration said that “some” of the Venezuelans had already been removed from the United States prior to the judge's order, but did not provide any further detail or comment. It was not clear how many people that it represented or under what circumstances they had been deported.

8. The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged Trump's use of the act, has asked the administration to ensure that it has not removed any migrants in violation of the order, lead ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told Reuters.

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9. “If anyone was turned over to a foreign government after the court's order, then we would hope that the United States government would work with that foreign government to get the individuals back,” Gelernt said.