The Trump administration denied that it had violated a court order by deporting hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador over the weekend, saying that the president had broad powers to expel them under an 18th-century law meant for wartime quickly.
The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also asserted in a statement that the federal courts “have no jurisdiction” over the president’s conduct of foreign affairs or his power to expel foreign enemies.
Timing: The judge issued his order shortly before 7 p.m. on Saturday in Washington, but video posted from El Salvador shows deportees disembarking at night. El Salvador is two hours behind Washington. Its president, Nayib Bukele, posted a screenshot about the judge’s order, with a message: “Oopsie… Too late.”
Context: President Trump signed an executive order on Friday invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows for summary deportations of people from countries at war with the U.S. The Venezuelan government said yesterday that the attempt to apply the act to this situation “constitutes a crime against humanity.”
