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Judge Reams Trump: ‘Woefully Insufficient’

March 21, 2025
by The Times Of America

Controversial Judge Reams Trump Admin for Late Deportation Info, Makes New Demand as Tensions Escalate: ‘Woefully Insufficient’

A federal judge has escalated tensions with the Trump administration after officials failed to meet a court-ordered deadline to provide information about deportation flights to El Salvador, potentially defying a judicial restraining order in a case that highlights ongoing conflicts between executive actions and judicial oversight.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a scathing rebuke on Thursday evening, stating that the government “again evaded its obligations” to submit information about flights carrying individuals targeted for removal under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked law that has become central to this contentious case.

The administration’s response was deemed “woefully insufficient” by Boasberg, who noted they submitted only a six-paragraph declaration from a regional ICE office director in Harlingen, Texas. 

Fox News reported that this filing, which arrived hours late, merely indicated that Cabinet secretaries are “actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets [act] privileges” rather than providing the requested information about the deportation operations.

“This is woefully insufficient,” Boasberg declared in his order, expressing clear frustration with what he characterized as the government’s continued evasion of court directives.

TTOA previously reported that the legal confrontation began when Boasberg granted an emergency restraining order on Saturday, blocking the administration from using the 1798 law to deport Venezuelan nationals, including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, for 14 days. 

His order also demanded that any flights already in the air return to U.S. soil immediately, setting up a direct challenge to the administration’s deportation operations.

Despite this clear directive, a plane carrying hundreds of migrants, including Venezuelan nationals removed under the contested law, landed in El Salvador hours after the judge’s order. 

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele appeared to mock the situation, posting “Oopsie, too late” on X following the plane’s arrival, adding an international dimension to the already complex legal standoff.

Fox highlighted that Boasberg promptly ordered the government to submit additional information as part of a “fact-finding hearing” to determine whether the Trump administration knowingly defied his order and how many individuals were deported in what could potentially amount to a direct challenge to judicial authority.

When government lawyers repeatedly failed to comply, citing national security concerns, Boasberg offered them the option to submit the information under seal by noon Thursday. His specific requests included details on how many planes departed the U.S. on Saturday carrying people deported “solely on the basis” of the proclamation, passenger counts, destinations and departure information – data he deemed necessary to determine compliance with his order.

“The Government cannot proffer a regional ICE official to attest to Cabinet-level discussions of the state-secrets privilege,” Boasberg wrote, noting that the declaration was based solely on “unsubstantiated ‘understand[ing],’” further highlighting his dissatisfaction with the administration’s response.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has been one of many attacking Boasberg amid the controversy. TTOA reported that she has labeled him an “activist judge” and even criticized his wife Elizabeth Manson for donating over $10,000 to Democratic candidates. 

“The judge in this case is essentially trying to say the President doesn’t have the executive authority to deport foreign terrorists from our American soil. That is an egregious abuse of the bench,” Leavitt stated.

The judge has now ordered the administration to submit a brief by March 25 explaining why it did not violate his order by failing to return the individuals on the two earliest planes that arrived from El Salvador to the U.S. on March 15, setting a firm deadline for the administration to justify its actions.

By March 21, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., defendants must also “submit a sworn declaration by a person with direct involvement in the Cabinet-level discussions regarding invocation of the state-secrets privilege,” according to Boasberg’s order, demanding higher-level accountability from administration officials.

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