In total, the Trump administration loaded more than 250 gang members on deportation flights to San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, under the terms of a deal with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele that will have the United States pay the small Central American nation to take foreign criminals.
The deported gang members include 238 associated with Venezuela’s violent Tren de Aragua, which flourished in the United States under the Biden administration, and 23 associated with El Salvador’s MS-13 Gang.
At the last minute, as the deportation was reportedly already carried out, federal Judge James E. Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order blocking Trump from deporting illegal aliens using the Alien Enemies Act.
“Oopsie … too late,” Bukele posted on X regarding Boasberg’s last-minute restraining order.
Photos taken of the gang members being shuffled off the deportation flights and into El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, known as the mega-prison CECOT, show them with masked guards escorting them through the prison with their heads down and forced onto the ground.
Bukele, like Trump, has championed law and order. Last year, Bukele marked another record-low homicide rate in the country, counting just 114 murders in a population that exceeds 6 million.
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S. in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
More than 250 suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S., in San Salvador, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed they will be sent to the country’s infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison. San Salvador forces took heavy security measures. (Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
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