Judge Slams Trump Administration Over Late Deportation Details
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg criticized the Trump administration for missing a court-ordered deadline to provide information on deportation flights to El Salvador.
In a significant legal rebuke, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s failure to meet a deadline for disclosing details about deportation flights to El Salvador. The judge had set the deadline as part of an ongoing legal battle concerning the administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals, including Venezuelan nationals, some allegedly linked to the gang Tren de Aragua.
Boasberg had issued an emergency restraining order on Saturday, temporarily blocking the use of the 1798 law for deportations and ordering any flights in progress to return to the U.S. However, a plane carrying hundreds of migrants, including those deported under the law, landed in El Salvador shortly thereafter. This prompted Boasberg to demand further information from the government, which he required to be submitted by noon on Thursday.
Despite the urgency of the matter, the Trump administration’s response was delayed and deemed insufficient by Boasberg. The government submitted a mere six-paragraph declaration from a regional ICE office director in Harlingen, Texas, instead of the detailed information requested. This declaration hinted at potential invocation of the state secrets privilege by Cabinet secretaries, a move that Boasberg found inadequate and evasive.
Boasberg’s frustration was evident in his order, where he described the government’s response as “woefully insufficient.” He emphasized the need for a sworn declaration from a person directly involved in Cabinet-level discussions about the state-secrets privilege by March 25, 2025, and demanded a brief explaining why the administration did not violate his order by failing to return the individuals on the earliest flights back to the U.S.
The judge’s stern reaction underscores the tension between the judiciary and the Trump administration, highlighting the challenges faced by the courts in overseeing executive actions on immigration and national security.