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President Donald Trump has gone on a tirade against Judge James Boasberg. The federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Venezuelan migrants. Despite the legal block, the president seems adamant about defying court orders.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump seemingly undermined the judge’s decision on his proposed deportation. He told Laura Ingraham, “That’s a presidential job. That’s not for a local judge to be making that determination.” In addition to this, the president also mocked and incited the impeachment of Boasman. While these appear to be empty threats, the Trump administration dismissed Boasman’s court order.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that 300 members of Tren de Aragua “were extracted and removed to El Salvador, where they will no longer be able to pose any threat to the American people.” Regardless of Tren de Aragua’s status as a gang, existing laws in the United States require due process. Even gang members need to appear before an immigration judge.
Moreover, the Trump administration’s justification for deporting the migrants despite the judge’s court order is due to an earlier executive order signed by Trump. This doesn’t justify the administration’s sidestepping of the court order. Trump has faced criticism from other politicians because of his administration’s dismissiveness.
A land of no laws
Senator Elizabeth Warren was among those who criticized the president on X. She wrote, “Trump is defying court orders and abusing wartime powers to deport people with no due process. He’s using the law that put Italian, German, and Japanese immigrants in detention camps during World War II.” She also reminded Americans that Trump “is not above the law.”
Similarly, social media is in an uproar over the lawlessness of the Trump administration’s decisions. Republicans against Trump wrote, “Here we go. The Trump administration is brazenly ignoring a court order. We’re no longer a nation of laws.”
On the other hand, Trump supporters are praising him for deporting the alleged gang members. The MAGA crowd online tends to believe that those accused of being gang members deserve to be deported in accordance with the Alien Enemies Act. There’s celebration over the removal of perceived criminals in the country—but while Trump supporters jeer at the misery of the deported, it’s important to note that the individuals detained by ICE and subsequently deported “lacked specific information.” Despite this and the lack of criminal records on many of the detained men, ICE still determined that these migrants were threats.
This is precisely why the judiciary is needed to weigh in to determine whether or not a migrant poses a threat to communities. But the judiciary’s opinion and the rule of law don’t seem to matter to Trump, who has made mass deportation one of his term’s main agendas. If the Trump administration is willing to defy court orders regarding immigration, Americans should be alarmed about what Trump possibly could do next.
