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.

Trump labeled the Tren de Aragua an invading force on Saturday when he invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a little-used authority from 1798 that allows the president to deport any non

President Trump deported nearly 300 immigrants that were allegedly part of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. NBC News' David Noriega has an in-depth report on the group and joins José Díaz-Balart to share more.

A federal judge called Trump administration arguments a “heck of a stretch” in a court hearing late Monday. The Trump administration says it has complied with a court order during its deportation of nearly 300 undocumented migrants it says are criminal members of violent gangs.

Hundreds of mostly Venezuelan alleged gang members were deported from the United States to a prison in El Salvador on Sunday, with the Trump administration invoking wartime powers to speed up removals despite a court ruling halting the move.

The White House said it followed the court’s written ruling. The judge verbally instructed planes en route to turn around.