The Trump administration has defied a federal judge court order and deported a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members.

According to a Reuters report, White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt said the administration did not defy the order as it was issued after the deportation flight left US territory.

On Saturday, a federal judge issued court order temporarily blocking the deportations, but lawyers told him there were already two planes with immigrants in the air, destined for El Salvador and Honduras.

Earlier on Saturday, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime authority that allows the him broader leeway on policy and executive action to speed up mass deportations.

According to The Associated Press, the move came as Mr Trump claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was invading the US.