Furious Federal Judge Blasts Trump Administration in Final Order
Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has issued a sharply worded final order condemning the Trump administration’s handling of mass deportations, marking a significant legal setback for former President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
In his ruling, Judge Boasberg found that the administration violated the constitutional rights of more than 250 Venezuelan men who were abruptly removed from the United States and transferred to prisons in El Salvador while a federal court hearing on their due process rights was still underway. The men had been labeled as members of the Tren de Aragua gang under a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, despite receiving no advance notice and no opportunity to challenge the designation.
The judge concluded that the removals were deliberately carried out in a rushed and secretive manner to evade judicial review. According to the ruling, deportation flights departed even as the court was conducting an emergency hearing, effectively stripping the detainees of their right to be heard. Judge Boasberg emphasized that such actions undermine the rule of law and cannot be permitted in a constitutional system.
Central to the decision was evidence showing that the United States retained “constructive control” over the detainees, even after they were transferred to El Salvador. The court cited a United Nations report in which Salvadoran officials stated that legal responsibility for the prisoners remained with U.S. authorities, who were reportedly paying millions of dollars for their detention.
The ruling also relied heavily on a whistleblower complaint filed by former Justice Department official Erez Reuveni. According to the complaint, senior DOJ leadership suggested that court orders blocking deportations might be ignored. Judge Boasberg found these statements corroborated his conclusion that the administration intentionally sought to bypass federal courts.
As a remedy, the court ordered the Trump administration to create a meaningful legal pathway for the deported individuals to access U.S. courts and exercise their habeas corpus rights. The judge stressed that without such relief, the constitutional violation would be rendered meaningless.
In a powerful warning, Judge Boasberg wrote that allowing the government to secretly remove individuals to foreign prisons would effectively nullify the “great writ” of habeas corpus, enabling authorities to snatch people off the streets and place them beyond judicial oversight.
The decision is expected to be appealed, but it stands as a forceful rebuke of executive overreach and a reaffirmation that due process protections apply—even in cases involving immigration and national security claims.
