Trump admin sends 17 more illegal immigrant criminals to El Salvadoran prison—this time under Title 8 of US immigration law, not blocked Alien Enemies Act

17 illegal immigrants have been deported to an El Salvadoran prison, this time under Title 8, not the Alien Enemies Act, the use of which has been halted by a federal judge after a similar deportation effort earlier in March.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote early Monday morning that "Last night, in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists."

"In order to keep the American people safe, @POTUS designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens," he added.

A senior White House official told Fox News that those sent to El Salvador included Venezuelan national Keivis Jesus Arrecheder Vasquez, an alleged leader of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. The foreign national has two pending criminal charges related to intent to sell drugs. 

Also sent out of the US were six other alleged Tren de Aragua members, officials said. All of the 17 transferred were either Venezuelan or El Salvadoran citizens. Most had been convicted of charges, while some had criminal charges pending. Per the Daily Mail, the 17 people deported had entered the country illegally.

Senior White House officials said that Title 8 was utilized to remove the illegal immigrants, not the Alien Enemies Act, the use of which has been paused by US District Court Judge James Boasberg. All of those removed from the country had deportation orders or final orders of removal. 

Earlier in March, Boasberg issued a temporary block on Trump using the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime immigration law, to swiftly deport violent gang members from the country. On Friday, he extended the restraining order against the Trump administration.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele wrote, "Last night, in a joint military operation with our allies from the United States, we transferred 17 extremely dangerous criminals linked to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists. This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime."