Venezuela/El Salvador: On 15 March US President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act against Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua (TdA), which he had designated a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) last month. Trump’s invocation of the 18th century legislation, which has previously been used just three times, each time during a major conflict (the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II), allows for the summary deportation of any non-citizen from a foreign ‘enemy’ country without court hearings or asylum screenings. The following day, 238 alleged TdA members arrived in El Salvador from the US, and were immediately transferred to the ‘Terrorism Containment Centre’ (Cecot), a 40,000-capacity mega prison. In a 16 March statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Trump administration had invoked the Alien Enemies Act to “initiate the removal of hundreds of dangerous members” of TdA, which he said “has been threatening our nation, conducting irregular warfare, and terrorising Americans”. Rubio also said he wanted to express his “sincere gratitude to President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador for playing a pivotal role in this transfer”, having “volunteered to imprison these violent criminals.” Rubio said that “once again, President Bukele has shown he is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the United States.”
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