U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to bring back Venezuelan men sent last year to a Salvadoran prison under the Alien Enemies Act.
The judge ruled that the government must fly back or accept at a U.S. port of entry any men now in countries outside Venezuela. Once in the U.S., they will be detained while facing accusations of Tren de Aragua gang membership.
Boasberg previously ruled the deportations violated the men’s due process rights. Frustrated by government resistance, he wrote officials were “apparently not interested in participating in this process” and refused to let the men “languish in the solution-less mire” proposed by the administration.
The order requires the government to submit a list of those seeking return within 15 days and provide an update within two weeks explaining how and when transport will occur. Boasberg’s ruling does not apply to Venezuelans still in the country due to the political instability following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
The decision continues a long-running clash between Boasberg and the Justice Department, with Trump previously calling for the judge’s impeachment and Boasberg seeking contempt proceedings.
