On Monday, a federal judge questioned whether the Trump administration defied court orders concerning deportations to El Salvador, potentially violating a decision issued just minutes earlier. District Judge James E. Boasberg expressed disbelief over the administration’s arguments. They claimed his verbal directions were invalid and only the written order should be followed while adding that flights already in progress could not be redirected due to national security concerns.
“It’s quite a stretch,” Boasberg remarked, emphasizing that the administration knew as planes were departing that he was close to deciding on the temporary halt of deportations under a seldom-used 18th-century law invoked by Trump just hours before.
Boasberg questioned, “How do you argue that my equitable powers wouldn’t apply to a plane that’s already left the U.S., even if it’s currently in international airspace?”
Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli argued that Boasberg’s short written order, issued after his verbal instructions, was the only one binding. Since it didn’t mandate flights be turned around, Kambli stated it was too late to redirect two planes already en route at that time.
“These issues concern national security and operational matters,” Kambli asserted.
The hearing, which Boasberg referred to as addressing potential defiance of his order, was the latest chapter in a legal battle launched when President Trump invoked an old wartime statute to manage immigration over the weekend. It also highlighted increasing tensions regarding whether the Trump administration was challenging judicial rulings hindering some of Trump’s aggressive measures early in his term.
ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt warned that if the administration continues its current path, America might approach a constitutional crisis. After the hearing, he stated the ACLU would request the court to return wrongly deported individuals to the U.S.
Boasberg announced his intention to document the proceedings formally, given how his verbal orders had been seemingly ignored. “Since my oral orders don’t seem to carry weight, I’ll issue this in writing,” he declared.
Over the weekend, Boasberg had stopped deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, rarely enacted in U.S. history and only during declared wars. Trump claimed the statute was needed against an alleged Venezuelan gang invasion.
With alleged planes heading to El Salvador, which agreed to house deportees in a notorious prison, Boasberg moved swiftly, instructing the government to return any such planes.
Reportedly, two planes took off from Texas before the hearing started, continuing to El Salvador. Another plane supposedly departed post-hearing, but according to Kambli, it did not transport anyone deported under the contested act.
Sunday, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed receiving over 200 deportees via social media, with White House Communications Director Steven Cheung sharing Bukele’s post. Axios reported the administration’s decision to “defy” court orders, citing anonymous officials who decided it didn’t cover planes outside U.S. airspace, an assertion quickly refuted by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Boasberg’s temporary restriction lasts up to 14 days amid ongoing litigation over Trump’s unprecedented application of the act, anticipated to prompt constitutional challenges suitable for the Supreme Court’s evaluation. With more hearings scheduled, advocacy organizations urged judicial accountability from the administration.
Amid courtroom proceedings, international tensions rose over deportations to El Salvador. Venezuela denounced the transfers as kidnappings, hinting at future human rights challenges via global organizations.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro criticized El Salvador’s actions, which he regards as unjust imprisonment of innocent individuals, questioning its legality and morality while denouncing potential cooperation with Trump’s deportation strategy.
Trump’s proclamation paints Tren de Aragua as a criminal hybrid state working with Venezuela. Concerned families scrambled for information on detained loved ones relocated to El Salvador on dubious gang-association grounds. Franco Caraballo, a detainee unaccused of crimes, vanished post-transfer. His legal representation expressed bafflement over the situation.
Efforts to reach Caraballo, allegedly deported amidst confusion, have failed, highlighting the tumultuous and opaque nature of current immigration proceedings.