U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to disclose more details about the conditions in which Venezuelan migrants are being held at a notorious prison in El Salvador.
The Context
Boasberg has been at the center of the Trump administration’s effort to ramp up migrants’ deportations. The Washington, D.C. judge dominated headlines in March when he tried to block the White House from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.
Boasberg’s order on Wednesday brings the court closer to determining whether the men should be brought back to the United States.
The Trump administration’s deportation of the migrants to El Salvador drew intense scrutiny because, according to multiple media reports, the men who were swept up in by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were deported without due process and many of them had not been convicted of a crime.
In one of those cases, regarding a Maryland father named Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has acknowledged several times that it deported Abrego Garcia by mistake.
What To Know
Boasberg said in Wednesday’s order that the court needs more information from the Trump administration to assess whether the approximately 200 men—deported in March under the Alien Enemies Act, a seldom-used 18th-century wartime law—remain under effective U.S. custody.
The legal question hinges on the extent of control the U.S. government still exerts over the detainees.
What People Are Saying
Boasberg said Wednesday: “Didn’t the president say just last week that he could secure the return of Mr. [Kilmar] Abrego Garcia simply by picking up the phone and asking the president of El Salvador to release him? Was the president telling the truth?”
What Happens Next
Boasberg asked for an “expedited” fact-finding inquiry on Wednesday so he can determine whether the case should move further.
The judge asked administration officials to deliver statements under oath about the U.S.’s arrangement with El Salvador so the court can determine if the U.S. has custody over the migrants it sent to El Salvador.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
Update 5/7/25 9:35 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and context.
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