US District Judge James Boasberg said Wednesday he will move quickly to determine which Trump administration officials defied his orders in a major immigration case and whether they will face criminal contempt consequences. The announcement came days after the DC Circuit cleared him to resume an inquiry that had been stalled since spring.
Boasberg said he is “authorized to proceed just as I intended to do in April,” noting that months have passed since he ordered the administration to stop sending immigrants to a notorious El Salvador prison under President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act. Flights continued despite his directive, and immigrants were held for months before their release in a prisoner swap with Venezuela. Boasberg said he intends to determine “what happened on that day.”
He previously “found probable cause” to pursue criminal contempt, but the investigation was paused until the appeals court lifted the hold last week. He signaled that his next steps could include sworn declarations or in-court testimony from officials, with hearings potentially starting December 1.
Boasberg is also looking at allegations from a DOJ whistleblower who claimed a senior official told colleagues the administration planned to ignore court orders during the deportation push. He called that complaint one of several “significant developments” that emerged while the case was frozen.
The judge directed the Justice Department and lawyers challenging the Alien Enemies Act policy to submit recommendations on how he should proceed by Monday.
