Men deported to El Salvador by US were denied due process, says Venezuelan lawmaker

The Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act’s wartime powers to rapidly deport more than 200 alleged gang members

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An alleged Venezuelan gang member who was deported to El Salvador by the US. Photo: Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia via Reuters

Published: 6:19am, 18 Mar 2025Updated: 11:00am, 18 Mar 2025

Venezuelans deported over the weekend to El Salvador by the United States have been denied due process, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, Rodriguez said the people deported were not known to have committed any crimes in the United States or El Salvador, and that Venezuela would do everything it can to have them returned home.

The Trump administration says those deported belong to the Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been linked to kidnappings, extortion and contract killings.

The Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act’s wartime powers to rapidly deport more than 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang from the US over the weekend despite a court order forbidding it to do so.

Alleged Venezuelan gang members who were deported to El Salvador by the US. Photo: Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia via Reuters

Rodriguez also said he will ask the government of President Nicolas Maduro to issue a warning for Venezuelans not to travel to the United States, saying it was not a safe place, and he urged Venezuelans who have migrated there to return.