Criminal gang?

US government deports more than 200 Venezuelans

The White House has deported 200 suspected gang members from the USA. They are now in prison in El Salvador.(Bild: AFP/APA/El Salvador‘s Presidency Press)

The US government has deported 200 suspected members of a Venezuelan gang from the USA. This had previously been prohibited by a court order. The White House commented that a judge was not authorized to block its actions.

"A single judge in a single city cannot determine the movements of an airplane full of foreign terrorists who have been deported from the US," said US government press secretary Karoline Leavitt. US President Donald Trump had invoked the little-known "Alien Enemies Act" of 1798 for the deportations. He said that the country was facing an "invasion" by a criminal organization linked to kidnapping, extortion, organized crime and contract killings.

Human rights organizations countered that the law was not intended to be applied in peacetime. Judge James Boasberg then ordered a 14-day halt to all deportations, but a detailed examination of the substance of the case will follow.

Here you can see the post by El Salvador's president.

Men transferred to prison
The 238 men were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center - a prison that can hold up to 40,000 inmates. The period of one year could still be extended, said El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele. He released footage of the men being forced out of an airplane in the dark under a massive security presence.

El Salvador continues to fight against organized crime and the White House would assist in gathering information. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Bukele for his "help and friendship".