WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — A federal judge sharply rebuked the Trump administration this week, threatening to launch contempt proceedings over what he called its “willful disregard” for a court order halting deportations of Venezuelan migrants under a little-used wartime law.

In a 46-page ruling issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg said there was “probable cause” to find the administration in criminal contempt for ignoring his March 15 order that temporarily barred deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law invoked by President Donald Trump to justify the removals.

Boasberg’s order came after the administration deported nearly 140 Venezuelan men to El Salvador, claiming they were members of Tren de Aragua, a notorious Venezuelan street gang. The deportations took place even after Boasberg’s directive to ground the flights. The judge said the administration’s actions demonstrated “a willful disregard” for the rule of law.

“The court does not reach such conclusions lightly or hastily,” Boasberg wrote. “Indeed, it has given defendants ample opportunity to explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory.”

The judge’s pointed warning is the latest twist in a legal battle sparked by lawsuits from the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward, which accused the administration of bypassing due process protections when it used the Alien Enemies Act — originally designed for wartime threats — to fast-track the deportations (source: The New York Times, April 17, 2025).

The controversy began on March 15, when Boasberg convened an emergency hearing and ordered the deportation flights halted immediately. But the planes, already en route to El Salvador, did not turn back. The administration later argued Boasberg’s oral order lacked authority until a written version was filed, a defense the judge dismissed as “a heckuva stretch.”

Even after the deportations, the Justice Department tried to deflect blame, first attempting to cancel a follow-up hearing, then unsuccessfully asking an appeals court to remove Boasberg from the case, according to the Times.

Adding to the unusual legal showdown, the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that while migrants must be allowed to challenge their deportation orders, the suits should be filed in the jurisdictions where they were detained — in this case, Texas — rather than Washington, D.C. But Boasberg said that ruling did not absolve the government from obeying his original order.

“It is a foundational legal precept that every judicial order must be obeyed-no matter how erroneous it may be—until a court reverses it,” Boasberg wrote.

The judge gave the administration until April 23 to either prove it had not violated his order or disclose the names of those responsible for ignoring it. If officials fail to comply, Boasberg signaled he may refer the case to the Justice Department for prosecution or appoint an outside attorney to handle a criminal contempt charge, which can carry fines or prison time.

White House spokesman Steven Cheung defended the administration’s actions, posting on social media that President Trump remains “100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities.” The administration also pledged to appeal Boasberg’s ruling, calling it a “judicial power grab” (source: The Associated Press, April 17, 2025).

The ACLU and Democracy Forward, which represent the deported Venezuelans, applauded Boasberg’s ruling as a critical check on executive overreach.

“Judge Boasberg is correctly focused on the return of individuals sent to a brutal Salvadoran prison without any process whatsoever,” said Lee Gelernt, the ACLU’s lead attorney on the case.