A US judge has demanded that the Trump administration clarify if it had infringed on a court order by deporting several hundred Venezuelan gang members at the weekend. The deportations, conducted under an 18th-century war-era law, raised fears of executive overreach and judicial autonomy.
On Monday, Judge James Boasberg set a hearing and insisted on information regarding when the flights carrying the suspected members of Tren de Aragua were flown in to El Salvador. The action follows after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other organizations raised alarm over whether the government violated a temporary injunction issued on Saturday.
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President Donald Trump defended the deportations, claiming his power under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is not subject to review by the federal courts. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt further reiterated this position, asserting that “a single judge cannot dictate the movement of aircraft carrying foreign terrorists.”
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted video of the deportees landing, deriding the court’s decision with the comment, “Oopsie… too late.” Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, meanwhile, claimed that deportation flights would keep going, saying, “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think.”
Legal analysts believe the administration can be seen openly challenging judicial prerogative. The ACLU also cited flight monitoring information indicating one leaving Texas in defiance of the judge’s verdict, raising another question about law. Critics see Trump’s response as part of a larger movement to extend presidential power at the expense of the Congress and judiciary.
As legal fights intensify, the administration is steadfast in its position, while the judiciary’s power is put to a severe test in one of the most consequential constitutional showdowns of Trump’s presidency.
