Judge Demands Trump Administration Disclose Deportation Flight Details by Noon

A federal judge has set a high-stakes deadline for the Trump administration to provide details about deportation flights conducted over the weekend. By noon Tuesday, the administration must account for flights that sent Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, raising questions about whether the government disregarded a court order to pause such removals for 14 days.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, clearly unimpressed with the administration's actions, demanded specifics during a Monday hearing. He ordered the administration to detail how and when the flights left, where they landed, and exactly who was on board. This follows his emergency order on Saturday to halt deportations under the rarely-used 1798 Alien Enemies Act—a law that feels like it’s been dusted off from the archives of history.

The controversy centers on whether the administration ignored this order, which required any planes carrying Venezuelan migrants or suspected gang members to turn around. Judge Boasberg didn’t mince words, expressing frustration when government lawyers repeatedly dodged his questions, citing national security concerns. One lawyer flatly said they couldn’t provide information, prompting Boasberg to issue a written order for the details by noon Tuesday. He also scheduled a follow-up court appearance on Friday.

Plaintiffs, including the ACLU, argue the government’s actions caused "irreparable harm" to the migrants involved. They pointed out that this specific immigration law has been used only three times since its inception in 1798, most recently during World War II.

Meanwhile, the White House seems to be standing its ground. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed a plane carrying hundreds of migrants—including more than 130 Venezuelans—had already left U.S. airspace by the time the order was issued. She questioned the legality of the judge’s decision and confirmed plans to appeal. But the ACLU fired back, insisting the U.S. was still responsible for the migrants until they landed in another country.

Judge Boasberg appeared incredulous, pressing government lawyers on why they didn’t comply with his order. "Isn’t the better course to return the planes and figure things out," he asked, "rather than saying, ‘We don’t care, we’ll do what we want?’" It’s not every day you see a federal judge call out the government for what seems like a blatant disregard of judicial authority.

For now, the clock is ticking. By noon, we’ll see whether the Trump administration complies with the demand for transparency—or if this tug-of-war over deportations escalates further.