Judge says US government may have 'acted in bad faith' as he weighs contempt over deportation order

WASHINGTON (AP) — A national justice said Thursday that the Trump medication whitethorn person "acted successful atrocious faith” by trying to unreserved Venezuelan migrants retired of the state earlier a tribunal could artifact their deportations to El Salvador.

U.S. District Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg successful Washington pressed a Justice Department lawyer to explicate the government's actions successful a high-stakes tribunal proceeding to find whether the medication ignored his orders to crook astir planes that were carrying deportees to El Salvador.

The justice said helium could contented a ruling arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week connected whether determination are grounds to find anyone successful contempt of tribunal for defying the tribunal order.

The lawsuit has go a flashpoint successful a conflict betwixt the judiciary and the Trump medication amid mounting White House frustrations implicit tribunal orders blocking cardinal parts of the president’s sweeping agenda. Trump has called for the judge’s impeachment, portion the Justice Department has argued the justice is overstepping his authority.

Boasberg ordered the medication past period not to deport anyone successful its custody nether the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime instrumentality Trump invoked implicit what helium claimed was an penetration by the Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua. The justice besides ordered that immoderate planes with Venezuelan immigrants that were already successful the aerial beryllium returned to the United States. That did not happen.

Boasberg, who was appointed to the national seat by Democratic President Barack Obama, said it appeared the medication had tried to get the deportees retired of the state arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable earlier a tribunal could measurement in. He told a Justice Department lawyer helium suspects the authorities whitethorn person “acted successful atrocious religion passim that day."

“If you truly believed thing you did that time could past a tribunal challenge, I cannot judge you would person operated the mode you did,” Boasberg said.

The Justice Department has said the medication didn't interruption the judge's order, arguing it didn't use to planes that had already near U.S. airspace by the clip his bid came down. The Justice Department has noted that the judge's written bid said thing astir flights that had already near the U.S. and that the justice had nary powerfulness to compel the president to instrumentality the planes anyway.

The Trump medication has refused to reply the judge’s questions astir erstwhile the planes landed and who was connected board, contending they are considered “state secrets.”

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign told the justice that details astir the flights could beryllium diplomatically sensitive, since the migrants were being sent to a 3rd state that had agreed with the U.S. to clasp them successful their prison. Ensign besides repeatedly said helium didn’t cognize immoderate “operational details” of those March 15 deportation flights.

“I had nary cognition from my lawsuit that was the case,” Ensign replied erstwhile asked if helium knew during the tribunal proceeding that time that planes were already successful the aerial oregon were astir to instrumentality off.

The Trump medication is urging the Supreme Court for support to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador nether the seldom utilized Alien Enemies Act. The Justice Department says national courts shouldn’t interfere with delicate diplomatic negotiations. It besides claimed that migrants should marque their lawsuit successful a national tribunal successful Texas, wherever they are being detained.