President Donald Trump’s administration decided to ignore a judge’s order to turn around two flights containing alleged Venezuelan gang members, sources said.
President Donald Trump’s administration made a calculated decision to ignore a judge’s directive to turn around two flights containing hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members, sources familiar with the matter .
The verbal order from the chief judge of the Washington, D.C., District Court, James Boasberg, explicitly told the government to turn around any aircraft that had already departed the country if it was still in the air.
„You shall inform your clients of this immediately any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States“, Boasberg said during a hearing on Saturday. „However that’s accomplished, turning around the plane, or not embarking anyone on the plane. … This is something that you need to make sure is complied with immediately.“
Finding the deportations would cause irreparable harm, Boasberg barred the Trump administration from deporting „all non-citizens who are subject to the AEA proclamation“ for at least 14 days, imposing a temporary restraining order or TRO.
During that time, while the lawsuit makes its way through the courts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is meant to keep the noncitizens in its custody.
