Trump Invokes Wartime Law for Gang Deportations

The U.S. deported over 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador, despite a federal judge's order temporarily blocking such deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. President Donald Trump invoked this rarely used wartime law, which allows deportations during conflicts, to expel these individuals, citing their links to organized crime. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele accepted the deportees, transferring them to a high-security prison for at least a year. The U.S. is reportedly paying El Salvador $6 million as part of this arrangement. This move has faced criticism from civil rights groups, who filed lawsuits resulting in the judge's intervention, and from Venezuelan authorities, who condemned the deportations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Bukele as a strong regional security leader for accepting the deportees.