Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday that the U.S. has deported numerous members of the Tren de Aragua gang under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, despite a federal judge’s order to temporarily halt these removals.

“Under the President’s direction, his administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to initiate the removal of hundreds of dangerous members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a vicious and violent Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which has been threatening our nation, conducting irregular warfare, and terrorizing Americans,” Rubio stated on Sunday.

“Hundreds of violent criminals were sent out of our country. This crucial step would have never happened under any other U.S. president. President Trump is following through on the promises he made to the American people,” he added.

This announcement followed a decision by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg who, just a day prior, ordered the Trump administration to stop the deportations for 14 days for those deemed eligible for removal under Trump’s order. This pause was the result of a lawsuit brought by Democracy Forward and the American Civil Liberties Union.

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During a virtual hearing on Saturday, Boasberg noted that two planes carrying immigrants were already airborne—one headed for El Salvador and the other for Honduras, as reported by The Associated Press. He verbally ordered that the planes be turned around, but this directive was not included in the written order and the planes were not returned.

“Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” Boasberg instructed Justice Department officials on Saturday.

The Trump administration, in a court filing on Sunday, acknowledged the flight but stated that the plane had already left U.S. territory by the time Boasberg issued his order. “Federal Defendants further report, based on information from the Department of Homeland Security, that some gang members subject to removal under the Proclamation had already been removed from United States territory under the Proclamation before the issuance of this Court’s second order,” the Justice Department wrote.

The deportations were part of an agreement Rubio negotiated with El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, who agreed to imprison the deported alleged gang members in exchange for the U.S. returning two top leaders of MS-13 and 21 of its most wanted alleged criminals “to face justice in their homeland,” Rubio explained.

“President Bukele has shown he is not only the strongest security leader in our region, he’s also a great friend of the United States,” Rubio commented, expressing gratitude towards Bukele for “playing a pivotal role in this transfer.”