Judge to Review Alleged Violation of Deportation Order

On Monday at 5 p.m. Eastern Time, a federal judge will deliberate on whether the Trump administration breached a court mandate by deporting over 200 individuals linked to gangs to El Salvador last weekend.

Insider sources revealed to ABC News that President Donald Trump's team made a considered move on Saturday to redirect flights with numerous purported Venezuelan gang affiliates.

Judge James Boasberg from the U.S. District Court had verbally instructed against any deportations amidst a temporary restraining order against expelling non-citizens in custody. This directive came shortly after Trump's attempt to use an old statute to expel alleged gang members from the group known as Tren de Aragua.

Dispute Over Jurisdiction

Judge Boasberg had clearly instructed that planes already airborne must return if they had not left U.S. boundaries. Yet, sources have indicated that senior U.S. officials believed that because the flights crossed into international territory, the directive was no longer applicable.

Late Sunday, legal representatives from the ACLU and Democracy Forward Foundation alleged that the administration had potentially disregarded the judge's ruling by deeming it only relevant for planes within U.S. bounds.

Legal Contentions

The judicial filing stated emphatically that the administration was tasked with reversing any flights carrying deportees under the AEA Proclamation.

Conversely, the Department of Justice claimed that their actions preceded the judicial order, acting under the Alien Enemies Act proclamation.

Legal counsel representing the deportees countered this, emphasizing that U.S. jurisdiction persisted until the individuals landed abroad, not just while the aircraft were airborne over American soil.

Court documents underscored the importance of maintaining jurisdiction to potentially reverse the deportations.

Plaintiffs cited comments from public officials, including those from El Salvador, as evidence that flights proceeded post-order, raising speculation of intentional order defiance.

They insisted that the administration could have halted the deliveries without transferring the deportees, adhering strictly to the temporary hold.

Given all these factors, Judge Boasberg had previously blocked deportations for 14 days to avoid irreversible consequences.

Next Steps

Legal challenges continue as plaintiffs urge formal statements from government figures to determine if direct violation of the court mandate occurred knowingly.