CARACAS (Reuters) – The Venezuelan government strongly criticized the U.S. government’s use of a rarely invoked wartime law to try to deport over 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador. The move, swiftly blocked by a U.S. judge, was termed as “anachronistic, illegal, and violative of human rights” by Venezuela’s authorities, who expressed deep concern over the potential impact on children.
El Salvador’s presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the specific charges faced by the alleged gang members in El Salvador, including any involvement of minors, remained unclear.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador announced via social media that the first 238 alleged members of Tren de Aragua had been received and transferred to a terrorism detention facility for a one-year term, with the possibility of extension. This development followed reports that the U.S. had agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million for the arrangement.
Venezuela urged the international community, particularly the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), to unite against what it deemed a dangerous precedent that could affect the entire region.
