Judge Evaluates Alleged Defiance of Court Order in Deportation Case
In a significant legal development, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., is scrutinizing whether the Trump administration contravened a judicial mandate by authorizing a deportation flight for Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador.
Last month, President Donald Trump activated the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, facilitating the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans reportedly linked to gangs, despite a court injunction prohibiting reliance on this statute. This action bypassed due process for those being deported.
Naureen Shah, leading the ACLU’s government affairs and equality division, clarified that the government is currently barred from utilizing the Alien Enemies Act. “There’s a temporary restraining order in effect until April 12th, so the court has ordered them not to send people to El Salvador, to use the Alien Enemies Act as the sole basis for sending people,” she explained.
Despite the legal restrictions, Shah highlighted that deportations to El Salvador are proceeding under standard immigration codes. A notable case includes a Maryland resident with legal protected status, who was reportedly deported in error.
The ACLU, among other organizations, is pursuing legal action against the application of the Alien Enemies Act. Shah pointed out that deportation flights were executed despite the court’s explicit prohibition. “Judge James E. Boasberg issued oral and written orders in this case directing the Trump administration to halt removals under the purported authority of this act, including as flights were in the air,” she stated.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Boasberg deliberated on whether there is justification to hold administration officials in contempt for noncompliance with his March directive, which suspended the wartime authority.
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