Judge Boasberg grills DOJ on Trump’s comments about El Salvador deportations
- U.S. District Judge James Boasberg questioned Justice Department lawyers on May 7 in Washington, D.C., about President Trump's comments on deportations to El Salvador.
- The inquiry arose after Trump claimed last month he could secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia with one phone call, though he did not plan to make that call.
- Boasberg pressed DOJ attorney Abhishek Kambli on whether the U.S. Maintains custody over migrants sent to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under a $6 million grant deal linked to law enforcement purposes.
- Kambli acknowledged Trump’s statement referred only to his influence, denied legal control over detainees, and said no agreement gives the U.S. Control over these prisoners despite grants paid to El Salvador.
- Boasberg ordered sworn statements from the Trump administration to clarify custody rights, signaling a possible finding that the U.S. Holds constructive custody with implications for due process and potential migrant returns.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Court Orders Trump Administration to Explain If It Can Bring Back Deportees from El Salvador
Federal Judge James Boasberg has demanded the Trump administration clarify whether it has “constructive custody,” and therefore the ability to bring back some 140 immigrants, mostly from Venezuela, it expelled from the U.S. in March without due process. One of those men is Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration admitted to expelling in error. Trump has claimed both that the U.S. government does not have the authority …
Judge Demands Trump Admin Reveal Secrets Behind Controversial Deportations
In a significant legal development, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has ordered the Trump administration to provide internal documents and communications related to its invocation of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. This decision comes amid allegations that the administration misused wartime powers to bypass due process protections. Judge Demands Trump Admin Reveal Secrets Behind Controversial Deportations The…

A federal judge is investigating whether Trump has the power to bring deported migrants back to El Salvador.
A federal judge pressed the Department of Justice (DOJ) over President Donald Trump's suggestion that he could guarantee the return of deported migrants to a Salvadoran mega-prison. During a hearing Wednesday night, the judge approved further investigation into whether the United States has custody of the migrants it sent to the prison. U.S. District Judge
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