Donald Trump’s administration struck a deal with El Salvador’s hard-line President Bukele earlier this year to send hundreds of prisoners to the South American’s country’s tough prisons
Donald Trump has defended his decision to ignore judges and put more than 250 people on flights to El Salvador’s ‘hell-hole’ prison.
In a press briefing on Air Force One, the US president defended the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act’s wartime powers to rapidly deport more than 200 alleged members of Tren de Aragua. This Venezuelan gang has been linked to kidnapping, extortion and contract killings.
Speaking about the Tren de Aragua gang members removed from the United States, he said: “These were bad people. That was a bad group of, as I say, hombres… look at the crimes they’ve committed. You take a look… You don’t get worse than that.”
The US flew more than 250 accused gang members to the ‘hell-hole’ prison in El Salvador on Sunday, despite a judge’s orders. Trump announced in February his plans to deport gang members and migrants to El Salvadoran prisons.
On Sunday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed that two flights landed in the country, with 238 members of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, as well as least 21 members of MS-13.
Upon landing, the prisoners were met on the tarmac by armed commandos who immediately took the former US prisoners to the Terrorism Confinrment Centre (CECOT), according to a video posted by Bukele.
The deportations came just hours after US District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the Trump administration from invoking the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to swiftly boot the gangbangers from the country without a formal hearing.
However, Trump decided that the order did not apply since the two flights were already “outside US airspace.”
Dubbed the “black hole of human rights”, the CECOT prison cost $100 million and is the largest in Latin America.
Trump’s border czar celebrated the deportations over the weekend. He wrote on X: “Last night, 238 Tren de Aragua members along with 21 MS13 gang members, were deported from this country adding to the thousands of criminal aliens already deported.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, this country is becoming safer every day.”
In the terrifying CECOT jail, prisoners are in cells of 80, with only a metal bunk to sleep on with no pillows, sheets or mattresses. They are only allowed to wear white shorts and t shirts.
Gang members spend 23 and a half hours locked in their cells, and the only time they can stretch is chained in the halls.
Lawyer Zaira Navas said: “People have died in El Salvador’s prisons and jails because of torture, a lack of food, unhealthy conditions, an inhuman lack of attention and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.”
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