District Court Judge James Boasberg is considering holding Trump officials in contempt over deportation flights conducted under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Boasberg wants to know whether those officials purposely defied his March 15 orders, which stated that the deportations could not take place for at least two weeks — while he considered the merits of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU.
Two planes were already in the air and did not return with the individuals on board as was required by Boasberg's order. Another plane, which was reportedly on the ground after the order was issued, also left the country.
Hundreds of individuals, whom the Trump administration contends are foreign gang members, were on the flights that landed in El Salvador. Those individuals were transferred to a notorious maximum security prison, where they will apparently spend a year behind bars.
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"I believe there is probable cause to find contempt," Boasberg told an attorney representing the government.
If Boasberg finds there is probable cause to find contempt, more hearings could take place, and administration officials could be subpoenaed to testify about what they knew about his orders.
The judge said he will review the evidence provided further and issue an order, likely by next week.
This case has garnered a lot of attention due to the prison where the individuals were sent.
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Earlier this week, the Trump administration admitted it made a mistake when it deported a migrant who was given asylum in 2019. Kilmer Armado Abrego-Garcia was on one of the planes that landed in El Salvador.
Abrego-Garcia had previously been accused of being a member of the MS-13 gang, but it was never proven. However, he was still deported and the Trump administration said it would not make any effort to bring Abrego-Garcia back to the U.S.
