The Trump administration invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 230-260 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's CECOT supermax prison in March 2025, alleging ties to Tren de Aragua and MS-13. A federal judge ordered a halt to the deportations and verbally directed the flights to turn back, but the administration proceeded, saying the planes had already left US territory. Neither government publicly identified the detainees or provided evidence of gang affiliations; internal DHS data later showed only 32 had US criminal convictions, most for nonviolent offenses, and roughly 75% had no US criminal record, with at least 27 never having been ordered removed. Detainees were held incommunicado, with reports of torture, beatings, sexual violence, and prolonged solitary confinement, while the US paid $6 million to house 300 migrants at the facility. After about four months, the Venezuelans were transferred to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange, though the administration reported losing track of 137 of them. In 2026, a federal judge ordered the administration to facilitate the return of more than 130 of these men to the US for their immigration proceedings.