The Trump administration has confirmed that it proceeded with deporting roughly 250 illegal migrants and alleged gang members to an El Salvadorian mega-prison where visitation, recreation and education are forbidden, despite a court order from U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, because the flights were already over international waters when the ruling was issued.
Judge Boasberg had issued the emergency order to temporarily block the deportations, following a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of at-risk migrants. However, White House officials stated that the administration did not actively ignore the ruling, arguing that it was not applicable since the flights had already departed. They also suggested that the case will now likely head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is said to have orchestrated the deportations before the judge could intervene, ensuring that the migrants were removed from U.S. soil before Saturday night’s court hearing concluded. The administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out the deportations, targeting individuals linked to Venezuelan and Salvadoran gangs, including Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the White House contends it complied with the court’s written ruling, while the judge had verbally instructed the planes to turn around:
During Saturday’s hearing, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Lee Gelernt told Boasberg that two aircraft believed to be carrying Venezuelan deportees took off from U.S. territory on Saturday. The ACLU had sued the administration earlier that day on behalf of migrants at risk of deportation.
Boasberg said Justice Department lawyers hadn’t disputed that claim, and told them that “any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States.” Boasberg said his order was “something we need to make sure is complied with immediately.”
The judge subsequently issued a written order that didn’t explicitly mention planes that were already in the air, something White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to point to Sunday.
“The Administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order,” Leavitt said in a statement, adding that it “was issued after terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory. The written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict.”
However, lawyers typically consider verbal orders from judges to have the same authority as formal written orders.
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, confirmed the arrival of the deportees and expressed support for the cooperation between the U.S. and El Salvador. The deportees were reportedly transferred to El Salvador’s high-security terrorism confinement center, built as part of a U.S.-funded agreement.
Oopsie…
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
Too late 😂 pic.twitter.com/nDHL6deLJq
Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
Meanwhile, human rights organizations have condemned the move, citing concerns over the prison conditions in El Salvador, where over 100 deaths have been reported since President Bukele’s mass incarceration efforts began.
The Justice Department is now appealing Judge Boasberg’s ruling, and the case is expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for a major legal battle over executive power and immigration enforcement.
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Great on President Trump for his decision. Obama and Biden were notorious for ignoring the courts but since most courts are progressive liberal they didn’t mind. Dems have never meant a crime they didn’t HUG——–
It’s understandable, but not an acceptable ruling, from another activist judge appointed by democrat Obama. How can these type of judges be removed from the bench? They are a disgrace to the judicial system.