Trump issued an executive order to use the Alien Enemies Act to target Venezuelan migrants with ties to the Tren de Aragua gang.

The Trump administration says the group should be treated as an invading force. Critics say it’s a pretext for the administration’s anti-immigrant narrative.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Debates over President Trump’s hard-line migration policies are focused on the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, to some a ruthless transnational criminal organization and to others the pretext for an overhyped anti-migrant narrative.

The Trump administration is paying roughly $6 million for El Salvador to jail the 238 Venezuelan gang suspects deported Sunday, according to the White House. “It was approximately $6 million to El Salvador for the detention of these foreign terrorists,

The Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelans accused of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, sending them to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison, Cecot. The prison is notorious for the ruthless way it treats prisoners,