Judge To Hold Trump Admin In Criminal Contempt

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that there is probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for knowingly violating a court order to immediately stop deportations under the rarely invoked Alien Enemies Act. The order also directed that any planes already en route be turned around.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued a stern warning in his ruling, stating that the administration still has a final opportunity to comply. If it fails to do so, Boasberg said he will move forward with identifying those responsible for disobeying his March 15 order which was later stayed by the Supreme Court and refer them for potential prosecution.

“The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt,” Boasberg wrote. “The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory.”

The decision marks a serious setback for the Trump administration, which has refused to reverse the deportation of more than 100 men to a high-security prison in El Salvador. These deportations came after Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act a statute that has only been used three times in U.S. history, all during wartime.

Boasberg criticized the administration’s decision to carry out deportation flights while legal challenges were still underway, stating the administration had “spirited out” more than 100 Venezuelans in defiance of judicial review. He also pointed to social media posts from Trump officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who appeared to boast that deportation flights were proceeding despite the court’s injunction.

“The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it,” Boasberg concluded.

The order puts further legal pressure on an administration already facing intense scrutiny over its use of executive power in immigration enforcement, and it opens the door to possible criminal consequences for senior officials who participated in the deportations despite the judicial blockade.