‘Oopsie…Too late,’ wrote President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, as he reacted to a post about Trump disobeying court orders
President Donald Trump has been accused of defying a court order as he flew hundreds of ‘Venezuelan gang members’ to one of the world’s toughest prisons.
The 78-year-old Republican voiced his strong enthusiasm last month about sending convicted criminals of any nationality to El Salvador’s notorious ‘mega-prison’—a facility known for its brutal conditions, where inmates are denied visitation rights and kept in isolation, never stepping foot outside.
Despite a temporary halt imposed by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg on Saturday (March 15), over 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan criminal organization were flown to Central America. The order followed Trump’s attempt to expedite their deportation through a centuries-old wartime declaration.
After Boasberg’s ruling, which mandated the suspension of flights, he was informed by attorneys that two flights had already taken off. One was heading to El Salvador, while the other was en route to Honduras. Despite clear verbal instructions to halt the flights, the planes were not diverted.
On March 16, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador reacted to a post about Trump disregarding court orders by tweeting: “Oopsie… Too late.”
In response, White House Secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement asserting that Trump and his administration had not refused to comply with the court order.
Bukele, meanwhile, shared an update on social media about his new detainees, writing: “Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a one-year (renewable) period.” He added, “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.”
In his post, President Bukele outlined how the efforts, combined with the work already being carried out by over 40,000 inmates involved in various workshops and labor as part of the Zero Idleness program, would eventually make El Salvador’s prison system self-sustaining. He explained, “Over time, these actions, along with the production generated by inmates, will reduce the $200 million annual cost of maintaining our prison system.”
He further noted, “This time, the U.S. has also sent us 23 members of the MS-13 gang, including two key ringleaders, one of whom is a high-ranking figure within the organization. Their arrival will aid in completing intelligence gathering efforts and allow us to target the last remnants of MS-13—former and new members, their funds, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors.”
Bukele added, “As we continue to advance in the battle against organized crime, this operation not only strengthens our own efforts but also serves our allies, makes our prison system self-sustaining, and provides vital intelligence to make El Salvador an even safer place—all in one move.”
In closing, he offered, “May God bless El Salvador, and may God bless the United States.”
