White House Asserts Presidential Authority in Deporting Terrorist Tren de Aragua Aliens — Denies Defying Court Order, Declares It Invalid
The Trump administration has doubled down on its authority to deport illegal immigrants linked to the notorious Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational criminal organization.
Amid leftist outrage and judicial hand-wringing, the White House firmly denied allegations that it had “refused to comply” with a court order restricting certain deportations.
The Trump administration is standing firm in its authority after far-left DC District Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee, blocked the deportation of dangerous Venezuelan gang members, handing a lifeline to criminals instead of protecting American citizens.
Boasberg ordered an immediate halt on deportation flights of Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang members, who were being removed under the Alien Enemies Act (1798)—a wartime law explicitly designed to protect Americans from foreign threats.
Even more outrageous, the judge went so far as to demand that planes already in the air turn around and bring these violent criminals back into the United States.
According to ABC News, “[Boasberg] also ordered the Trump administration to immediately turn around two planes carrying noncitizens if they are covered by his order, including one [en route to El Salvador] that potentially took off during a break in the court’s hearing.”
“You shall inform your clients of this immediately any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” he said.
“However that’s accomplished, turning around the plane, or not embarking anyone on the plane…this is something that you need to make sure is complied with immediately.”
Boasberg, who serves as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., appears to believe he has the authority to override the President of the United States and dictate immigration policy from the bench.
According to far-left Axios, “The White House says it ignored a court order to turn around two planeloads of alleged Venezuelan gang members because the flights were over international waters and therefore the ruling didn’t apply,” according to two sources.
While the radical left and mainstream media were eager to spin this as an administration defying the courts, the White House firmly rejected that characterization.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made it clear that Judge Boasberg overstepped his jurisdiction:
“The Administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order. The order, which had no lawful basis, 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. Moreover, as the Supreme Court has repeatedly made clear — federal courts generally have no jurisdiction over the President’s conduct of foreign affairs, his authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, and his core Article II powers to remove foreign alien terrorists from U.S. soil and repel a declared invasion.
A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrying foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil.”
The Administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order. The order, which had no lawful basis, 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. Moreover, as the Supreme… https://t.co/DnjUsuWTLH
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 17, 2025
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that the Trump DOJ provided an update to Boasberg’s order and said the criminal aliens were outside of US territory when the order came down.
The radical judge has zero jurisdiction over international airspace.
“For the reasons explained on the record, Federal Defendants object to this Court’s assertion of jurisdiction, including over the President’s exercise of powers vested in him by Article II. Subject to that objection, Federal Defendants were promptly notified of the Court’s temporary restraining order issued in the morning and the 7:26 PM EDT minute order that temporarily enjoined any removals pursuant to the Presidential Proclamation. Federal Defendants have sought emergency appellate relief from the D.C. Circuit as to both orders; the Court of Appeals has now ordered expedited briefing on both motions. The five individual Plaintiffs that were the subject ofthe first TRO have not been removed,” Trump’s DOJ wrote.
The DOJ continued, “Going forward, and in the absence of appellate relief, Federal Defendants will continue to protect the United States using authorities other than the Proclamation. Federal Defendants further report, based on information from the Department of Homeland Security, that some gang members subject to removal under the Proclamation had already been removed from United States territory under the Proclamation before the issuance of this Court’s second order.”
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