Judge Questions Trump’s Comments About El Salvador Deportations, Requests More Info

Trump said last month he could secure the return of a deported man by calling El Salvador’s president.

U.S. military personnel escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the MS-13 gang deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), at the El Salvador International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, on April 12, 2025. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters

A federal judge said during a hearing on May 7 that he would ask the government to provide more information about the terms of its deal with El Salvador’s government under which dozens of Venezuelan nationals deported from the United States are being held in a mega-prison.

District Judge James E. Boasberg also questioned whether President Donald Trump was being truthful when he said last month that he could secure the return of a deported man by calling El Salvador’s president.