The RecordExhibit 13
Deportation flights to a Salvadoran mega-prison, despite a judge's order
Ruled unlawful means: A court ruled against it. Some rulings are on appeal.
Invoking a wartime law from 1798, the administration flew Venezuelan men to El Salvador's CECOT prison the same evening a judge ordered the planes turned around.
What happened
The men were labeled Tren de Aragua gang members and removed with little to no process. Reporting later found only a handful had serious criminal records. They were eventually sent to Venezuela in a July 2025 prisoner swap.
Where it stands
Judge James Boasberg found probable cause for criminal contempt; the D.C. Circuit has halted that inquiry twice. He separately ruled the men were denied due process and ordered the government to help bring them back for hearings.
The administration's side
The Justice Department argued the judge's spoken order was defective, the flights were already over international waters, and the gang amounts to an invasion of the United States.
Sources
Permanent link: https://unredactedrecord.com/e/cecot/