Three Key Takeaways:
- President Donald Trump outflanked an activist judge with a swift and strategic use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, successfully deporting 261 members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador, circumventing judicial roadblocks.
- By designating the gang as a terrorist organization with ties to Venezuela’s Maduro regime, Trump created a legal framework for immediate action, which was facilitated through negotiations with El Salvador at a minimal cost to taxpayers.
- Despite opposition from groups like the ACLU, Trump’s decisive action on foreign criminals sent a clear message that America will no longer be a sanctuary for gang members, positioning this move as a stark contrast to the chaos under Biden’s immigration policies.
The Left thought they had President Trump cornered.
But he pulled off what might be his most masterful move yet.
And Donald Trump outflanked one activist judge with a move that has Democrats up in arms.
In a lightning-fast operation that left Democrat Party operatives sputtering, the Trump administration successfully removed hundreds of dangerous Venezuelan gang members from American soil.
Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
How’d he do it? By dusting off the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 – a law that’s been sitting in the books for over two centuries, just waiting for a President with enough backbone to use it in modern times.
The numbers tell the story: 261 members of the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, gone. Shipped off to a maximum-security facility in El Salvador before an activist judge in Washington, D.C. could throw a wrench in the works.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t mince words about the administration’s position. “We are wholly confident that we are going to win this case in court,” she declared, sending a clear message to the judicial activists trying to block Trump’s agenda.
.@PressSec: “This Administration acted within the confines of the law … and under the authority granted to him under the Alien Enemies Act. We are quite confident in that — and we are wholly confident that we are going to win this case in court.” pic.twitter.com/tDt0XMwZPE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 17, 2025
Border Czar Tom Homan put it even more bluntly on Fox News: “We’re not stopping, I don’t care what judges say, I don’t care what the Left thinks, we’re coming.”
That’s the kind of straight talk Americans have been waiting to hear.
Here’s what makes this operation so brilliant: The Trump team’s innovative use of the Alien Enemies Act.
By officially designating Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization with ties to Venezuela’s Maduro regime, they created the legal framework for immediate action.
The diplomatic heavy lifting came courtesy of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, working alongside special envoys Richard Grenell and Mauricio Claver-Carone.
Their negotiations with El Salvador produced a deal that’ll cost American taxpayers just $6 million – pocket change compared to the astronomical costs these criminals rack up in our communities.
Of course, right on cue, here came the American Civil Liberties Union, crying crocodile tears about “wrongly accused” gang members.
Same old story – the Left putting criminal aliens ahead of law-abiding citizens.
Leavitt shot back hard: “These are heinous monsters, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, sexual assaulters, predators.” No sugar-coating there.
Fox’s Peter Doocy: “And if these guys are terrorists at war with the United States, is President Trump considering anything more lethal to address them than just sticking them on a plane somewhere?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “Well, it sounded like you had a little bit of… pic.twitter.com/V4AeCZvxv5
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 17, 2025
The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. When U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg tried to throw up a roadblock, those planes were already beyond American airspace.
Sometimes the best strategy is simply being one step ahead.
This whole operation stands in stark contrast to the chaos we saw under Biden’s watch.
Remember when these gang members first started flooding across our border? That’s what happens when you roll out the welcome mat for criminals.
The Democrat Party’s media allies are working overtime to spin this as some kind of controversy.
But here’s what they don’t get: Regular Americans – the folks who actually deal with gang violence in their neighborhoods – they understand exactly what Trump’s doing.
Looking ahead, this could end up at the Supreme Court. But the Trump team’s ready for that fight. They’ve got the law on their side, and more importantly, they’ve got the will to enforce it.
The message is crystal clear: America’s no longer a sanctuary for foreign criminals. Not on Trump’s watch.
