More alleged Tren de Aragua gang members have been transferred to an El Salvador prison after the Trump administration filed an emergency appeal asking the Supreme Court to allow it to resume deportations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

Rubio said the 17 “violent criminals” from the Venezuelan gang and MS-13 organizations, “including murderers and rapists,” were transferred Sunday night “in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador.”

The emergency appeal, filed Friday, argues that federal courts shouldn’t interfere with sensitive diplomatic negotiations and migrants being detained under the Alien Enemies Act can make their case in a federal court in Texas, where they are being held.

Judge James Boasberg issued a restraining order earlier this month stopping the administration from using the law to continue deportations. The order did not stop the administration from arresting them or deporting them after hearings under regular immigration law.

The appeal to the Supreme Court comes after a federal appeals court issued a ruling on Wednesday keeping the block in place in a 2-to-1 vote. In the ruling, a panel of judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Court said Venezuelan migrants were likely to succeed in their case that the government cannot use the law to take them to the prison in El Salvador without a hearing.

Administration officials have called for ignoring court orders and continuing the expanded deportation efforts, arguing they are acting in the public’s best interest by making America’s borders more secure and getting alleged criminals out of the country.

“Once again, we extend our gratitude to @nayibbukele and the government of El Salvador for their unparalleled partnership in making our countries safe against transnational crime and terrorism,” Rubio said in his statement.”

On Thursday morning, a top MS-13 gang leader was arrested in Woodbridge, Virginia. He was charged with being an undocumented immigrant in possession of a firearm, but other charges are pending.

Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos, 24, from El Salvador, is accused of overseeing MS-13 operations on the East Coast and is considered one of the top three leaders of the gang in the United States.

Editor’s note: The National Desk’s Austin Denean contributed to this article.

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