More gang members have been deported to El Salvador, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
On Sunday, Secretary Rubio said that a further ten gang members have been deported to the Latin American nation, which has an agreement with the US to house hundreds of foreign gang members in its notorious CECOT mega-prison.
Hundreds of Venezuelans suspected to be members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs have already been deported to El Salvador using the powers of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to expedite their removal.
“Last night, another 10 criminals from the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua Foreign Terrorist Organizations arrived in El Salvador,” Rubio said in an X post.
Rubio went on to praise El Salvador and its president Nayib Bukele, saying that the alliance “has become an example for security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”
President Bukele is due to visit the White House today.
President Trump has praised him for accepting “alien enemies” from the US, and said the two countries are working together “to eradicate terrorist organizations.”
The deportations under the Alien Enemies Act have been subject to legal challenges, including a stay order issued by Obama-appointee James Boasberg.
In recent weeks, there has been a particular focus on the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who it is claimed was wrongly deported to El Salvador. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered him to be returned to the US, and the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn her ruling was rejected by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
In a new court filing on Sunday, a US immigration official said the order barring Abrego Garcia’s removal to El Salvador was no longer valid “because of his membership in MS-13 which is now a designated foreign terrorist organization.”