US Deports 17 Terrorist Gang Members to El Salvador, Rubio Says

The Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs were designated by the Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations last month.

U.S. military personnel escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the MS-13 gang recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, as part of an agreement with the Salvadoran government, in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, on March 30, 2025. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters

U.S. officials transferred 17 Tren de Aragua and MS-13 terrorist gang members to El Salvador on the evening of March 30, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 31.

Both gangs were designated by the State Department as foreign terrorist organizations in February, as the Trump administration attempts to target illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Describing it as a “successful counterterrorism operation,” Rubio said the U.S. military transferred 17 individuals from Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan-based gang, and MS-13, a Salvadoran gang, to the Central American country. U.S. officials worked alongside Salvadoran authorities to assist in the deportations, he said.

“These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens,” Rubio said. “Once again, we extend our gratitude to ... the government of El Salvador for their unparalleled partnership in making our countries safe against transnational crime and terrorism.”

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed the U.S. action on social media platform X, writing that all those who were deported from the United States “are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists.”

In the social media post, Bukele included a video of what appears to be U.S. military officials handing over the individuals to Salvadoran custody before their heads were shaved and they were transferred to a prison.

The Trump administration is currently challenging a federal judge’s order to prevent U.S. officials from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to implement deportations of alleged members of both gangs. Earlier in March, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked the administration from using the law to implement the deportations and later sought details about why a deportation flight wasn’t turned around.

On March 26, a U.S. appeals court declined to block Boasberg’s order that blocked the deportation of Venezuelan illegal immigrants to El Salvador, prompting the government to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

“Here, the district court’s orders have rebuffed the President’s judgments as to how to protect the Nation against foreign terrorist organizations and risk debilitating effects for delicate foreign negotiations,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in the court filing to the high court.

In the legal dispute, attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union initially filed their lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan illegal immigrants who were being held in Texas, hours after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.

Aside from the appeals, the Trump administration has invoked a “state secrets privilege” and indicated it would not give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations. Meanwhile, Trump and some Republicans in Congress have called for Boasberg to be impeached and removed.

In a statement responding to similar calls, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said earlier in March that he believes “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”

Trump has made mass deportations and imposing stricter border controls a priority under his second term. In the early days of his administration, the president signed a number of executive orders and issued directives relating to the border and the removal of illegal immigrants, including ending the Biden-era CPB One app, declaring a national emergency at the southern U.S. border, and ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrant parents.