US removes hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members under now-blocked authority

The country removes hundreds of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua using now-blocked authority from the 1798 Alien Enemies Act

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada Mar 14, 2025. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS

The United States has removed hundreds of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua using now-blocked authority from the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday.

"Hundreds of violent criminals were sent out of our country," Rubio said in a statement.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele said in a post on X that 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang had arrived in his country and were immediately transferred to a "Terrorism Confinement Centre" for a one-year period that could be renewed.

Bukele said the US had also sent 23 members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13, including two high-ranking members.

President Donald Trump on Friday invoked the wartime Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a criminal organisation that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion, organized crime and contract killings.

A federal judge on Saturday blocked the application of the law for 14 days, saying the statute refers to "hostile acts" perpetrated by another country that are "commensurate to war."