Judge says Trump admin was 'woefully insufficient' in meeting deadline for deportation flight info

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Thursday ruled the Trump administration's response to his latest deadline for information regarding its deportation flights was "woefully insufficient." 

The federal judge on Wednesday gave the administration until noon Thursday to hand over information on Venezuelan deportation flights, but it only submitted a declaration from an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official informing that “Cabinet Secretaries are currently actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets privilege," The Hill reported.

Boasberg also asserted that the information from the declaration was the same information already available. Boasberg had ordered the federal government to supply the information privately through a sealed filing.

“The Government again evaded its obligations,” Boasberg wrote. “This is woefully insufficient. To begin, the Government cannot proffer a regional ICE official to attest to Cabinet-level discussions of the state-secrets privilege."

Boasberg already issued an order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal immigrants, who were allegedly members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. But two flights with alleged gang members were already in the air at the time.

The judge on Saturday instructed the administration to turn the flights around, but the Justice Department argued it did not have to because the flights were already out of U.S. airspace.

The judge ordered the administration to provide an update on the case by Friday from a new official directly involved in the discussions. Officials must also explain in writing how they did not violate the court’s orders blocking Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act by Tuesday.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.