WASHINGTON:A US judge has warned the Trump administration of potential consequences if it is found to have violated a court order temporarily halting the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants. At the same time, the judge granted officials additional time to justify their actions.
US District Judge James Boasberg, based in Washington, suggested that the administration could invoke the state secrets doctrine, which protects sensitive national security information from disclosure in civil litigation, to explain its actions rather than providing specific details about deportation flights.
Boasberg expressed skepticism that complying with the court order would jeopardize national security, pointing to a social media post by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that detailed the flights.
The judge’s decision offered a temporary pause in an escalating conflict between the court and the Trump administration. Former President Donald Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment on Tuesday, prompting a rare rebuke from US Chief Justice John Roberts.
Boasberg, appointed by former Democratic President Barack Obama, is assessing whether the administration violated his weekend order that blocked the deportation of hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.
Following the order, three planes carrying deported Venezuelans landed in El Salvador, where the migrants are currently detained.
Boasberg requested details about the timing of the first two flights’ departures and arrivals, clarifying that the information would remain confidential. In response, the Trump administration accused the judge of overstepping his authority.
“The pending questions are grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority,” the administration stated in a court filing on Wednesday.
Boasberg extended the administration’s deadline to respond, emphasizing that his request for information was not a “judicial fishing expedition,” as the administration claimed, but aimed to determine whether the government deliberately disregarded his orders and what consequences should follow. He did not specify potential repercussions.
Trump Labels Judge a ‘Troublemaker’
Critics of Trump and some legal experts have raised concerns about a potential constitutional crisis if the administration defies judicial rulings. Under the US Constitution, the executive and judiciary are co-equal branches of government.
In a Tuesday interview on Fox News’ *The Ingraham Angle*, Trump stated that his administration would not defy court orders and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would rule in his favor regarding the deported Venezuelans.
However, Trump has strongly criticized Boasberg. In a social media post on Tuesday, he called for the judge’s impeachment, describing him as a far-left “troublemaker and agitator.” Although impeachment is highly unlikely, it would result in Boasberg’s removal from office. Boasberg was confirmed to the bench in 2011 by a unanimous 96-0 vote in the bipartisan US Senate.
Chief Justice John Roberts, part of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, rebuked Trump for his impeachment call, stating that an appeal, not impeachment, is the appropriate response to a judicial ruling.
Administration Defends Deportation Flights
In his Saturday order, Boasberg blocked the deportations for two weeks, ruling that the 1798 Alien Enemies Act did not justify Trump’s claim that the presence of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in the US amounted to an act of war.
During a court hearing on Saturday, while two planes carrying deportees were in the air, Boasberg instructed Justice Department lawyers that any flight covered by the order must return to the US immediately. A written order was filed at 7:25 p.m. EDT (2325 GMT), about 40 minutes after Boasberg’s oral ruling.
The two planes landed in Honduras after the order was filed and continued to El Salvador. A third deportation flight departed from a Texas airport after Boasberg’s order became public.
Justice Department lawyers argued in court filings on Tuesday that Boasberg’s verbal orders were not enforceable and that deportees on the third flight were not being removed solely under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Neither the Justice Department nor the State Department responded immediately to requests for comment.
