Trump Officials May Face Charges for Ignoring Judge’s Deportation Order
A U.S. federal judge, James Boasberg, warned on Wednesday that Trump administration officials could face criminal contempt charges. This is because they ignored his order to stop deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members without giving them a chance to fight the decision. The judge said there’s “probable cause” that officials deliberately disobeyed his March 15 ruling, which blocked deportations to El Salvador under an old law from 1798.
Many of the deported people’s lawyers and families say they are not gang members and were not allowed to challenge the government’s claims. This ruling is a big step toward punishing the administration since Trump returned to office on January 20, increasing tension between the courts and the government.
The Justice Department has appealed the decision to a higher court, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Boasberg gave the administration until April 23 to follow his order—letting the migrants challenge their removals—or name the officials who ignored it, so they could face prosecution. He noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio seemed to mock the order by retweeting a comment from El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele saying, “Oopsie…Too late.”
White House official Steven Cheung said they would fight the ruling, and a Justice Department spokesperson called it a “judicial power grab” they would resist. The Trump administration is dealing with over 150 legal challenges. Some critics, including Democrats, say officials are slow to follow court orders, showing they might not respect the independent court system.
Another judge, Paula Xinis in Maryland, is also looking into whether the administration broke her order to bring back a man wrongly deported to El Salvador. The Justice Department appealed her order too. Boasberg’s ruling is stricter—he might make officials swear under oath or face a special prosecutor if they don’t comply.
Legal expert Jonathan Hafetz called it a “strong rebuke” to the administration. Trump even called for Boasberg’s impeachment, but Chief Justice John Roberts said appeals, not impeachments, are the right way to handle disagreements with judges. The administration has also pressured other independent groups like universities and law firms.
This case involves Trump using the Alien Enemies Act, a law once used to deport people during World War Two, including U.S. citizens. Lawyers in El Salvador can’t reach their clients to check on them. An advocacy group, Democracy Forward, said the government’s actions are illegal and harm people and the Constitution.
It’s unclear if the threat of charges will make the administration follow the judge’s order. Usually, such threats work, but officials are rarely punished or jailed. The president can pardon anyone convicted of contempt, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service. In 2017, Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, who was convicted of contempt in a racial profiling case.
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