A federal judge has confronted the Trump administration for disregarding his directive to halt deportation flights carrying alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang. In a tense courtroom exchange on Monday, D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered the administration to provide a detailed timeline of the flights and clarify whether additional deportation operations had taken place since President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.
Boasberg demanded answers by Tuesday at noon, requiring the administration to disclose how many flights departed with suspected gang members, when they took off and landed, and the number of individuals still in U.S. custody. He also sought clarification on the precise timing of Trump’s executive order that triggered the mass deportations. The 1798 Alien Enemies Act, originally enacted during wartime, grants the president sweeping powers to detain and expel noncitizens deemed national security threats. The Trump administration is using the law to target Venezuelan migrants suspected of gang affiliations.
During the hearing, a Justice Department attorney argued that the verbal order issued by Boasberg carried no legal obligation because it was not put in writing. Even if it had been, the attorney claimed, the president retained authority to proceed with the deportation flights. This stance prompted a sharp rebuke from Boasberg, who questioned the administration’s rationale. “You’re telling me your first argument is when I said those things, because I didn’t say it in a minute order that the plaintiffs didn’t have to turn around, you didn’t have to comply?” Boasberg asked. “You’re saying that you felt you could disregard it because it wasn’t in a written order?”
The confrontation escalated when Boasberg pressed the Justice Department for details on two flights that departed from Texas at 5:26 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. local time. The administration’s attorney declined to provide specifics, citing “operational issues” that prevented disclosure. The judge questioned whether the administration was withholding information under the guise of national security.
The Justice Department also argued that because the planes had already entered international airspace, Boasberg no longer had jurisdiction over the deportees. The judge rejected that assertion, stating that his order applied to all flights regardless of their location. “My order applied to these flights, no matter where they were in the air,” Boasberg responded.
Despite Boasberg’s ruling, the Trump administration deported 261 people to El Salvador on Saturday, including 137 individuals removed under the Alien Enemies Act for alleged gang ties. The administration claims that two of the flights left before the judge issued his order and that a third flight took off shortly afterward, though details about the passengers on that flight remain unclear.
The legal battle stems from a lawsuit filed Saturday by five Venezuelan men held in immigration detention facilities in Texas and New York. Boasberg’s temporary restraining order prevents their deportation for 14 days while the case is reviewed. However, the Justice Department has filed an appeal, arguing that the D.C. federal court has no jurisdiction over the matter since none of the plaintiffs are detained in Washington, D.C.
The White House defended its actions, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserting that “the written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict.” She dismissed Boasberg’s intervention as an overreach, stating, “A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrying foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil.”
Before the hearing concluded, Boasberg made it clear that he would issue a formal written order in response to the administration’s defiance. “My oral orders don’t seem to carry much weight with the Justice Department,” he remarked.
The Justice Department further escalated the conflict by filing an appeal with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking Boasberg’s removal from the case. The administration accused the judge of “an inappropriate exercise of jurisdiction” and claimed he had engaged in “highly unusual and improper procedures” during Saturday’s emergency hearing.
The showdown between the judiciary and the executive branch underscores a larger battle over presidential authority and judicial oversight. As the legal dispute unfolds, the courts will play a decisive role in determining whether the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies will proceed unchecked or whether judicial intervention will halt the removals under the Alien Enemies Act. With tensions high and both sides digging in, the case is set to become a major flashpoint in the ongoing immigration debate.
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