A federal judge Monday said he is pushing forward with a contempt inquiry over whether the Trump administration intentionally disregarded his order in March to stop deporting more than 100 Venezuelan men to an El Salvador prison.
James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Washington, has now demanded that two of the Justice Department lawyers who were part of the March 15 deportation operation appear for questioning next week, Politico reported. One of the lawyers has reportedly been fired for opposing some of the Trump administration’s methods.
Boasberg said it was “premature” to recommend a criminal prosecution of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who admitted she gave the order to turn the 100 Venezuelan men over to authorities in El Salvador after administration attorneys advised her to do so.
“Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act on March 14, and the men were quickly rounded up and placed on airplanes without a chance to contest their designations as members of the gang,” Politico reported.
Lawyers for the men tried to stop the deportations and rushed to the court overnight, with Boasberg — an Obama-appointed judge who oversaw some of the grand jury proceedings related to special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump and the 2020 election results — expressing his concern about the lack of due process and protests over whether they were misidentified.
The Trump administration refused to halt the planes and said they had already left American airspace.
This case ultimately went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that “Boasberg lacked the authority to preside over the initial lawsuit but later concluded that the men had not been provided adequate due process,” Politico reported.
Republicans have attacked Boasberg, including Trump, and called for the judge’s impeachment.
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