Back in the U.S., a federal appeals court has denied a request by the Trump administration to lift an order blocking the president from expelling immigrants out of the United States using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The court order came on the same day that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the supermax prison in El Salvador housing over 200 men — mostly Venezuelans — who were sent there by the Trump administration in violation of a judge’s order. Human rights groups have long decried the inhumane conditions inside the Salvadoran prison. Noem posted a video, speaking in front of a group of prisoners.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: “First of all, do not come to our country illegally. You will be removed, and you will be prosecuted. But know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”
The Trump administration claims all of the Venezuelans sent to El Salvador were gang members, but the Miami Herald reports at least one of the men had just been granted refugee status weeks before.