Judge rules Trump admin could be held in contempt over deportations

A federal judge rules he's found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt

for failing to comply with his court order when deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members to

El Salvador last month. In March, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, which grants the

president powers to apprehend and deport naturalized individuals and remove them from the country

U.S. District Judge James Boesburg granted a temporary restraining order on Saturday

March 15th, ordering the government to halt the deportation flights and return the planes

However, the federal government argued flights that left that weekend were already over international

waters when the judge made the ruling, so the deportees were not brought back to the United

States. Nearly 300 migrants arrived in El Salvador that night and were sent to the high-security

terrorism confinement center, also known as CECOT. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the

Trump administration, allowing the federal government to use the Alien Enemies Act to

deport alleged gang members to the mega prison in El Salvador. Justices ruled the deportees

must be given notice so they can challenge their removal from the country

The court ultimately determines that the government's actions on that day demonstrate

a willful disregard for its order, sufficient for the court to conclude that probable cause

exists to find the government in criminal contempt Judge Boesberg wrote in his 46 order Despite the court written order and the oral command spelling out what was required for compliance the government did not stop the ongoing removal process he added

The Trump administration responding with White House Director of Communications Stephen Chung writing on X

We plan to seek immediate appellate relief. The president is 100 percent committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants

are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country

In his ruling, Judge Bozberg said he will provide the Trump administration

with an opportunity to purge such contempt. So what happens next? First, the judge says the court will identify the individual or individuals responsible

for the consummation's conduct by determining whose specific act or omission caused the noncompliance

Second, if the court will require written declarations from these individuals, and if the court finds them to be unsatisfactory

the court will proceed with live witness testimony under oath. Then the court would then request that if an individual were found to be in contempt

he or she is prosecuted by a government attorney. And finally, if the government declines to prosecute

the court can appoint another attorney to prosecute the individual found in contempt

For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan. For more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com