US deports hundreds of Venezuelans despite court order

forced onto buses.

The video also shows an aerial view of a long, winding police escort leading the buses into El Salvador's notorious mega-jail Cecot.

The newly-built maximum-security jail is a proud achievement of Bukele's, and part of his effort to crack down on the country's organised crime.

The facility, which can hold up to 40,000 people, has been criticised by human rights groups for maltreatment of inmates.

Men being held by police while having their heads shaved inside El Salvador's mega-jail the Terrorism Confinement Centre
Image source,Reuters
Image caption,Cecot, which can hold up to 40,000 people, has been criticised by human rights groups
The arrangement between the US and El Salvador is a sign of strengthening diplomatic ties.

"Thank you for your assistance and friendship," Rubio told Bukele on Sunday.

El Salvador was the second country Rubio, the US's top diplomat, visited after he was sworn in.

During that trip, which took place in February, Bukele made an initial offer to take US deportees, saying it would help pay for the massive Cecot facility.

The latest deportations under Trump's second term are part of the president's long-running crusade against illegal immigration in the US.

In January, Trump signed an executive order declaring Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organisations.

He won voters on the campaign trail, in part, by promising to enact the largest deportation operation in US history.

The agenda has so far not met expectations, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents not meeting Trump's daily quota for arrests.

A recent report suggested ICE agents had deported fewer immigrants in February than they had the same month a year prior during the previous administration under Joe Biden - 11,000 in February 2025, compared to 12,000 in February 2024 - according to NBC News