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A federal judge has extended the deadline for the Trump administration to disclose details about recent deportation flights to El Salvador.
Some shit you should know before you read: Over the weekend, the United States carried out deportation flights transporting over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, despite a federal judge’s order to halt such removals. US District Judge James Boasberg issued an emergency ruling on Saturday blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens, including suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang. However, the Justice Department argued that the flights had already left US territory when the written order was officially filed at 7:25 PM, arguing that this made the deportations lawful. Administration officials further argued that Boasberg’s verbal instructions earlier in the day lacked legal weight and that the illegal immigrants posed a national security threat due to their alleged gang affiliations.
What’s going on now: Judge Boasberg has now extended the deadline for the Trump administration to submit details about the deportation flights, giving officials until Thursday at noon to either provide the requested information or formally invoke the state secrets privilege. He has specifically demanded a sealed filing with precise departure times, flight paths, and landing details to determine whether the government violated his order. The Justice Department has resisted this request, insisting that disclosing such information would compromise national security while also attempting to remove Boasberg from the case and arguing that the president’s deportation decisions under the Alien Enemies Act are not subject to judicial review.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to defend the deportations, claiming that the flights were completed before the judge’s written order took effect and that the individuals removed posed a threat due to their alleged connections to the Tren de Aragua gang, which is now classified as a terrorist organization.
Trump has aggressively criticized Boasberg, calling him a “Radical Left Lunatic” and demanding his impeachment, a sentiment echoed by some Republican lawmakers. Texas Rep. Brandon Gill has filed articles of impeachment against the judge, backed by several GOP members, though House leadership has not indicated whether they will move forward with a vote. The effort is largely seen as symbolic, as judicial impeachment is rare and requires a two-thirds Senate conviction.
This comes as Chief Justice John Roberts issued a rare public statement condemning calls for Boasberg’s impeachment, arguing that judicial disagreements should be resolved through the appellate process, not political retaliation. Without directly naming Trump, Roberts stressed that the independence of the judiciary must be respected and that impeachment has historically been reserved for misconduct, not for controversial rulings.
