Video of alleged Tren de Aragua member being deported

The White House's official X account uploaded a video mocking alleged "Tren de Aragua" members being deported to the tune of 90s song "Closing Time" by Supersonic. The clip was accompanied by a caption consisting of a line from the song which reads "🎶You don't have to go home but you can't stay here🎶."

The post was uploaded amid growing controversy around this weekend's deportation flights in which about 250 alleged "Tren de Aragua" members were flown to El Salvador despite US District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocking the deportations earlier on Saturday.

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt denied on Sunday that the Trump administration had defied the ruling, arguing that the judge's order was issued only after the aircraft had already left U.S. airspace.

Leavitt doubled down on her claim during a press briefing on Monday:

"This administration acted within the confines of the law, again, within the President's constitutional authority and under the authority granted to him under the Alien Enemies Ac. We are quite confident in that, and we are wholly confident that we are going to win this case in court"

Leavitt also added that "all of the planes that were subject to the written order, the judge's written order, took off before the order was entered in the courtroom on Saturday." Pressed by CNN's Kaitlan Collins, the press secretary seemed to imply that the judge's verbal order — which was made between 6:45 p.m. and 6:48 p.m. on Saturday — wouldn't hold the same weight as his written order, which was posted at 7:26 p.m, Leavitt concluded:

"There's actually questions about whether a verbal order carries the same weight, as a legal order, as a written order. And our lawyers are determined to ask and answer those questions."

The alleged gang members were taken to El Salvador's infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) as part of a deal with the Trump administration.

Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele announced on Sunday that 238 members of Tren de Aragua were "immediately transferred to CECOT" and will remain there "for a period of one year (renewable)."

The president's message also included a video showing a large security operation carried out to take the prisoners to CECOT and their first moments there. The deportees are forced to bend over and walk facing the floor while on chains, firmly grabbed by officials wearing masks. Upon arrival they get their facial hair shaven clean and changed into white shoes before entering large cells.

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