WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge determined on Wednesday that the Trump administration must allow over 100 immigrants a chance to contest their deportation linked to prisons in El Salvador. Notorious
US District Judge James Boasberg indicated that those who were sent to prison in March under an 18th-century wartime law could not formally dispute the allegations that they were part of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. He mandated the administration to find a way for them to present their claims.
The judge noted that “significant evidence” has surfaced, suggesting that many migrants held in El Salvador do not have ties to the gang.
Boasberg instructed the government to devise a method within a week for “at least 137” individuals to make those claims, even if the approximation remains under custody in El Salvador. This marks another significant moment in the ongoing legal narratives regarding the deportees imprisoned in El Salvador’s notorious terrorism center.
After Trump invoked Alien enemies do it in March 1798, Boasberg ordered the plane carrying an accused gang member, Planetor, to return instead of heading to El Salvador, avoiding the jurisdiction of the US court. This appeal was disregarded. Boasberg later found possible grounds for the administration’s actions once the flight landed; Salvador President Naive Bukele posted a provocative social media message—reposted by some of Trump’s top aides—reading “oopsie, too detwe.”
The US Supreme Court Domination affirmed that individuals targeted under the AEA have the right to appeal a judge regarding their classification as enemies of the state. Boasberg’s recent ruling applied this principle to those who have been removed.
Boasberg asserted that the administration “clearly deprived” the migrants of an opportunity to contest their removal before being placed on flights. Therefore, he stated, the government now refers to immigration cases as “the government had not provided a constitutionally adequate process.”
The Department of Justice did not respond immediately to requests for comments.
The administration and its supporters have continued to push back against initial rulings and investigations into its practices. fight The judiciary has put a halt to Trump’s initiatives to unilaterally reshape the government, particularly challenging in the immigration sector. Trump has consistently argued that allowing every individual a day in court undermines national security from dangerous immigrants.
“You can’t try everyone!” the President posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, following the Supreme Court’s second intervention in the AEA saga, Stop possible attempts to sidestep the initial ruling by temporarily halting deportations in northern Texas.
Boasberg noted that he accepted the government’s sealed declaration, disclosing details of the government’s arrangement with El Salvador. He emphasized that there are criminal ramifications for providing false testimonies but added that such expressions “have become even harder to accept given the government’s troubling conduct throughout the case.”
He mentioned a similar situation in which the Trump administration acknowledged its error. I made a mistake A Maryland man was deported to El Salvador and subsequently ordered to “facilitate” his return by the judge, appellate judge, and the US Supreme Court.
This individual, Kilmer Abrego Garcia, has remained in El Salvador for over two months.
ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt welcomed Boasberg’s ruling. “This is an important step toward allowing these men the chance to show that they should not be excluded under wartime authority,” Gelernt stated after a hearing in an unrelated case.
In another ruling on the same day, a federal judge found that the Trump administration violated a settlement by failing to provide legal counsel to thousands of families separated at the border. US District Judge Dana Sablow indicated that specific measures would likely be determined by early next week.
Regarding the AEA, Boasberg’s order is merely the latest in a series of significant legal decisions.
Multiple judges have found a 24-hour exemption from deportation under specific laws in states like Texas, New York, California, and Pennsylvania, which allow detainees a chance to contest their classifications under the law. Deportations within these regions can continue under non-AEA laws;
Some judges have noted that Trump cannot employ this act against criminal gangs instead of states, pointing out that the act has only been invoked three times in history during the War of 1812 and both World Wars.
The Supreme Court may ultimately address these matters. The Trump administration maintains that the gangs operate as covert extensions of the Venezuelan government.
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Riccardi reported from Denver. Alanna Durkin Richer from Washington, DC, and Elliot Spagat from San Diego contributed to this report.
Source: apnews.com