A federal judge refused Monday to withdraw his block on President Donald Trump’s deportation flights of alleged members of Venezuela’s crime gang Tren de Araragua under the Alien Enemies Act.
Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that any Venezuelans the Trump administration seeks to deport under the Alien Enemies Act should get a chance to deny membership in the gang before being deported.
The Trump administration previously appealed Boasberg’s temporary block on the flights. A hearing is scheduled Monday afternoon at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Boasberg’s decision is the latest salvo in a battle between Trump, lawyers fighting his policies and the judiciary sometimes temporarily blocking his orders. Trump called for the impeachment of Boasberg and other judges that have ruled against the administration. But the impeachment talk sparked a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who said the recourse for adverse decisions is to appeal them.
