The Trump administration deported alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the U.S. despite a court order prohibiting such actions, claiming a judge had no authority to block their efforts. This followed Judge James Boasberg’s attempt to stop Trump from using the Alien Enemies Act to expeditiously remove over 200 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, linked to various crimes.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that a single judge could not dictate the movements of foreign terrorists expelled from the U.S. and emphasized that the court had no lawful basis for its order. Legal expert Patrick Eddington criticized the administration’s actions as open defiance of the judiciary, calling it unprecedented in the context of constitutional checks and balances.
In a hearing, Boasberg temporarily blocked the use of the law for 14 days, asserting that the statute pertains to hostile acts equivalent to war. Trump defended his actions by likening the influx of immigrants to a state of war, arguing that it was more dangerous due to the lack of identifiable enemies.
After Boasberg ordered that deportation flights return to the U.S., El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele shared footage of men being escorted off a plane, mocking the situation. Leavitt asserted there was no conflict between the court’s order and the administration’s actions.
Although the Trump administration referred to the Venezuelans as gang members and “alien terrorists,” Reuters has not verified their criminal status. Both the Department of Homeland Security and the Salvadoran government did not respond to requests for comments. The full extent and timing of the deportations remain unclear, with one deportation flight tracked by FlightRadar24 arriving in El Salvador late Saturday night.
FlightRadar24 reported that a plane took off from Harlingen Airport in the afternoon and landed in San Salvador late Saturday night. Global Crossing, a Miami-based company used by U.S. immigration for deportations, did not respond to requests for comment.
In a court filing, the Trump administration claimed that some Venezuelans were removed from the U.S. before a judge’s order, but details were unclear. Axios reported that officials believed the deportation would finish before the judge intervened and that the flights were already “over international waters” when the order was issued. However, legal experts disagreed, stating that a federal court’s jurisdiction extends beyond U.S. borders.
The ACLU has urged the administration to ensure no migrants were deported in violation of the order. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt expressed hope that the U.S. would collaborate with foreign governments to return anyone wrongfully deported. Meanwhile, 238 Venezuelan men, alleged gang members, are being sent to a mega-prison for a renewable one-year period, as stated by Bukele.