A judge in a Venezuela deportation case demands answers from the Trump administration

The Trump administration has been questioned by a judge about how it handled a Venezuelan deportation case.

A federal judge set up a judicial battle over presidential authority on Monday by giving the Trump administration until Tuesday to disclose details on the expulsion of Venezuelans in spite of court orders stopping the flights.

The deported men were allegedly part of the Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, which President Donald Trump recently named a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the White House declared on Saturday that the gang was fighting irregular warfare against the United States.

Even after US District Judge James Boasberg issued an injunction later that day prohibiting the deportations, 261 persons were sent to El Salvador by plane.

A lawyer for the Trump administration contended that a later written order with a more constrained scope took precedence over the judge’s first oral decision prohibiting the flights. Additionally, the attorney argued that once flights had exited US airspace, the government was legally permitted to carry out deportations.

Trump has frequently pushed the boundaries of executive authority since assuming office in January, undermining established checks and balances between the several parts of government.

Boasberg questioned Justice Department lawyer Abhishek Kambli during a court hearing on Monday about the time of the planes, including if they left after he gave the injunction.

“Why are you here today without providing any answers?” In an attempt to determine the precise chronology of events, including the time the flights took off and the passengers, Boasberg inquired.

A total of 261 individuals were deported, including 137 removed under the Alien Enemies Act and more than 100 others through regular immigration procedures, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She also mentioned that 23 Salvadoran members of the MS-13 gang were among those deported.