An afternoon hearing took place in federal court on Thursday. became intense as an attorney from President Donald Trump's administration faced rigorous inquiries from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg.
According to Politico , Judge Boasberg — who was first appointed to the Washington D.C. Superior Court by former President George W. Bush prior to his promotion to the federal bench by ex-President Barack Obama — held a hearing to determine if the administration intentionally defied his order mandating the return of three deportation flights to the U.S. The Venezuelan immigrants aboard these flights were facing deportation. pursuant to the AlienEnemiesAct of 1798 , having been activated just thrice throughout U.S. history and most recently during World War II. According to the administration, those who were deported were part of the notorious gang "Tren de Aragua." However, they later admitted that at least one individual on these flights did not belong to the group. expelled and imprisoned in a large-scale prison in El Salvador by error.
On Thursday, Deputy Attorney General Drew Ensign stated that following Judge Boasberg’s ruling to redirect the aircraft until further litigation regarding the Alien Enemies Act could take place, he informed three high-ranking officials from the State Department, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security. According to Politico, when Ensign mentioned not receiving any detailed information concerning the deportation flights, Judge Boasberg expressed disbelief.
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Did they share absolutely nothing with you regarding these aircraft?" Boasberg questioned. "You were present, advocating for the government, and they didn’t disclose anything at all?
Ensign rebutted by stating that he "made every effort to gather this information but could not succeed," which caused the judge to seemingly "arch an eyebrow and shake his head disapprovingly." Judge Boasberg subsequently noted that despite his directive handed down early on March 15, the administration continued with these flights. Addressing Ensign from the bench, he questioned, “Wouldn’t the sensible course have been to pause and wait for the court’s decision?” Additionally, the judge suggested that the administration sped up their deportation schedules anticipating they might be overturned by judicial authorities.
Boasberg stated that if you genuinely thought all your actions that day were lawful and could withstand a legal challenge, you wouldn't have conducted yourself as you did.
Eventually, Ensign conceded during the proceedings that seven women and one man who had been flown to El Salvador were brought back to the United States. This information was utilized by Judge Boasberg to demonstrate that his directive for deportees to return to the U.S. was indeed “practically achievable.” Although the judge did not rule at Thursday’s hearing on whether he would cite any Trump administration officials as being in contempt, an official verdict on this matter is anticipated sometime this month.
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Click here To view the entire Politico piece.
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