Judge fumes over late-night deportation move signed ‘in the dark’

Fox News ^ | 3/21/25 | Breanne Deppisch

[Libloather]

A federal judge grilled Trump administration lawyers Friday over the deportation of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador despite an earlier court order explicitly blocking the move. It was the latest in a legal dispute that could reach the Supreme Court.

During a motion hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg questioned Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign about why the Trump administration failed to comply with an emergency court order that temporarily blocked its use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the gang Tren de Aragua, from U.S. soil for 14 days.

At least 261 migrants were deported Saturday from the U.S. to El Salvador, including more than 100 Venezuelan nationals who were subject to removal "solely on the basis" of the law temporarily blocked by the court.

Boasberg used the first portion of Friday's hearing to press Ensign for details over the government's deportation flights to El Salvador.

"Why was this proclamation signed in the dark on Friday, early Saturday morning, and then these people rushed onto the planes?" Boasberg asked Justice Department attorneys. "To me, the only reason to do that is if you know the problem, and you want to get them out of the country before a suit is filed."

Ensign was also pressed at length over what he knew about the deportations during last week's court hearing, when Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to temporarily halt any planned removals of Venezuelan migrants subject to the Alien Enemies Act.

[Lockbox]

Today, some anti-immigration politicians and groups urge a non-literal reading of invasion and predatory incursion so that the Alien Enemies Act can be invoked in response to unlawful migration and cross-border narcotics trafficking. These politicians and groups view the Alien Enemies Act as a turbocharged deportation authority. But their proposed reading of the law is at odds with centuries of legislative, presidential, and judicial practice, all of which confirm that the Alien Enemies Act is a wartime authority. Invoking it in peacetime to bypass conventional immigration law would be a staggering abuse.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained

Times change, methods of attacking changes. The Chinese Using fentanyl to kill 100,000+ people is a weapon of mass destruction. But our vaunted justice system can’t seem to understand that we no longer use muskets to fight.

[Bernard]

This whole thing is just objective evidence that the DC district court is a cesspool of conflict of interest, and the only real cure for it is shut down the district. It would be difficult to find a lawyer inside the Beltway that does not have what normal people consider to be a conflict of interest, so pretending that it can be done is just wasting time and money.

[pollywog]

thank you for giving us the legal status of this “ oral” order. It actually is plain old common sense, but I was just not sure myself.

[eastexsteve]

I think Trump should just ignore the judge. What’s he going to do? Jail Trump? OK, that will take co-operation from the Marshall’s office and prosecution by Pam Bondi. What do you think are the odds of that happening?

[falcon99]

From what I have read, this district court judge does not have any jurisdiction over any immigration act by the administration — nor does any district judge, by law. So this dipshit little hittler is way out of his jurisdiction and would rightfully be ignored by the administration, until and if Roberts gets off his ass and does something to rein in these little arrogant judges that think they are the executive branch and president.

[DeplorablePaul]

Right? How did the ACLU get this suit in front of him so quick? Who leaked about Trump use of the act and the flight? There’s a leaker in the WH.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Somebody tell this Soros/deep state POS to eat a d

[McGavin999]

This judge thinks the world stops at his utterances. The government is huge and everyone is not standing around waiting for the golden words to come out of his mouth.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

"During a motion hearing, U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg questioned Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign about why the Trump administration failed to comply with an emergency court order.."

Because you're not the President asshole.

[Recompennation]

This guy boass needs be defrocked.

[carcraft]

Maybe he can explain why Biden was flying illegal aliens around America in the dead of night

[Republican Wildcat]

Can anyone figure out what this judge is even talking about?

And if something like this is subject to “judicial review” then the review has to be much faster than this when national security is at stake. And a judge believing the judiciary has authority over the movement of military flights, let alone those already in the air?

[FlingWingFlyer]

Hey boarsassburger, go ____ yourself, commie punk.

[Organic Panic]

The “War on Drugs” is still declared...

[Dr. Franklin]

Well, they are buddies in the same club.

Superior court judges are obligated to superintend the lower court judges with the prerogative writs when necessary, and make them pay costs for the action. Since the Rehnquist Court, they have stopped doing that, and this is the result.

[Lockbox]

So technically using the War on Drugs meets the first requirement of the Alien Enemies Act….. great thought. Liberals love Word Salad…… serve it up!

[Vaduz]

Judge fumes over late-night deportation move signed ‘in the dark’.

Did he also fume about Biden flying millions of illegals into the U.S. at 3:00am on the tax payer money?.

Another judge with a robe so people won’t see what one hand is doing under it.