Judge Extends Restraining Order Blocking Trump’s Migrant Gang Deportation Flights
President Donald Trump’s ongoing legal battles continued as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg prolonged his temporary restraining order, preventing deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act.
Originally set to lapse on March 29, Boasberg extended the order until April 12, “or until further order of the Court,” as reported by Newsweek.
“The continued interference by an unelected activist judge in the foreign policy of the United States is a clear obstruction of President Trump’s constitutional authority and threatens the safety and security of all Americans,” a Department of Justice spokesperson told Newsweek.
On Thursday, following Boasberg’s assignment to a lawsuit concerning a journalist added to a Signal chat with senior defense officials, Trump criticized the judge.
“How disgraceful is it that ‘Judge’ James Boasberg has just been given a fourth ‘Trump Case,’ something which is, statistically, IMPOSSIBLE. There is no way for a Republican, especially a TRUMP REPUBLICAN, to win before him,” Trump stated on his TruthSocial account, just a day before the order blocking deportation flights was prolonged.
“He is Highly Conflicted, not only in his hatred of me — Massive Trump Derangement Syndrome! — but also, because of disqualifying family conflicts. Boasberg, who is the Chief Judge of the D.C. District Court, seems to be grabbing the ‘Trump Cases’ all to himself, even though it is not supposed to happen that way,” he added.
“Is there still such a thing as the ‘wheel,’ where the Judges are chosen fairly, and at random? The good news is that it probably doesn’t matter, because it is virtually impossible for me to get an Honest Ruling in D.C. Our Nation’s Courts are broken, with New York and D.C. being the most preeminent of all in their Corruption and Radicalism. There must be an immediate investigation of this Rigged System, before it is too late!” Trump wrote.
That same day, the administration petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to step in on the heated legal battle concerning Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act—a 1798 law he used to quickly deport suspected members of a Venezuelan gang classified as a terrorist organization.
The administration’s filing requests that the justices overturn Boasberg’s order and uphold Trump’s authority under the law to carry out swift deportations. According to CNN, this case is currently among the most significant matters before the Supreme Court.
“This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country – the President, through Article II, or the judiciary,” Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris argued before the Supreme Court. “The Constitution supplies a clear answer: the President. The republic cannot afford a different choice.”
The administration’s legal position, similar to prior appeals, largely centers on concerns over lower courts impeding Trump’s policy measures by issuing temporary rulings that, while not definitively resolving the constitutional dispute, have at least temporarily stalled parts of his agenda.
Shortly after Trump enacted the measure, over 200 Venezuelans were flown to El Salvador and placed in a high-security prison. Since then, officials have stated that some deportations were carried out under other legal provisions, separate from the 18th-century statute.
The administration asserted that the deported men had links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
This legal development arrives just days after Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to indirectly rebuke Trump, following the president’s suggestion that Congress could consider impeaching Boasberg.