In a striking move late Sunday night, the U.S. military transported 17 suspected members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang from Guantanamo Bay to El Salvador, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The operation marks a significant step in the Trump administration’s aggressive push to rid American streets of violent criminals.
Rubio took to X to announce the transfer, spotlighting the dangerous nature of those involved. “In order to keep the American people safe, @POTUS designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” he stated. “These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens.” He noted that the group included individuals accused of heinous crimes like m*rder and r*pe.
Among those sent to El Salvador was Keivis Jesus Arrecheder Vasquez, a Venezuelan national identified by senior White House officials as a key figure in Tren de Aragua. Fox News reported that Vasquez faces two pending charges tied to drug trafficking.
Alongside him, six other alleged gang members were relocated, all hailing from either Venezuela or El Salvador. While some await trial, most have already been convicted, officials confirmed.
President Donald Trump celebrated the move on Truth Social, extending gratitude to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for “taking the criminals that were so stupidly allowed, by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, to enter our Country, and giving them such a wonderful place to live.”
The transfers, executed under Title 8 authority, complied with existing deportation orders, sidestepping a recent federal judge’s ruling against using the Alien Enemies Act—a wartime law from 1798—for such actions.
That ruling came from U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg, who on Friday extended a restraining order blocking the Trump administration from leveraging the old statute to deport gang-linked individuals. Trump fired back, railing against Boasberg and “radical left judges” for tying his hands as he works to lead the nation.
The 17 now find themselves in El Salvador’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center, a fortress-like prison opened in 2023 by Bukele to cage the country’s most dangerous offenders. Bukele himself weighed in on X, describing the group as “confirmed m*rderers and high-profile offenders, including six child r*pists.”
Just last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the facility before meeting with Bukele, whose iron-fisted campaign against street gangs has drawn global attention.
This operation is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration, which has already deported hundreds of alleged criminal illegal immigrants to El Salvador. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on the mission in a statement to Fox News:
“Every day, America becomes safer, thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” she said. “If you’re an illegal terrorist or criminal – the Trump administration is coming for you.”
The transfer signals a clear intent: the administration is unrelenting in its pursuit of those it deems a threat, navigating legal hurdles to deliver results. For now, these 17 alleged gang members are off U.S. soil—and locked away in one of the world’s toughest prisons.
Last night, more TDA and MS-13 kiIIers and chiId rpists were transferred to El Salvador pic.twitter.com/3CDqpc3yF8
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 31, 2025
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