WASHINGTON (PNN) - March 17, 2025 - President Donald J. The Trump regime says it disregarded a judge's order to turn around two planeloads of Venezuelan criminals because the flights were over international waters and therefore the ruling did not apply, Axios reports, citing two senior officials - one of whom made clear that it's "Very important that people understand we are not actively defying court orders."
The Trump regime argues that Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA) District Judge James Boasberg overstepped his authority when he issued an order blocking the president from deporting roughly 250 Tren de Aragua gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1789, a wartime law that gives the executive branch immense power to deport noncitizens without judicial hearings.
"This is headed to the Supreme Court and we're going to win," a senior White House official told Axios, adding, "It's the showdown that was always going to happen between the two branches of government. It seemed that this was pretty clean. You have Venezuelan gang members. These are bad guys, as the president would say."
According to the report, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller "orchestrated" the flights in the West Wing in tandem with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem.
More via Axios, “The president signed the executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act on Friday night, but intentionally did not advertise it. On Saturday morning, word of the order leaked, officials said, prompting a mad scramble to get planes in the air.”
“At 2:31 p.m. Saturday, an immigration activist who tracks deportation flights posted on X that ‘two highly unusual ICE flights’ were departing from Texas to El Salvador, which had agreed to accept Venezuelan gang members deported from the (FPSA).”
Hours later, during a court hearing filed by the ACLU, activist Judge Boasberg ordered a halt to the deportations and said any flights should be turned around mid-air.
At that point, about 6:51 p.m., both flights were off the Yucatan Peninsula, according to flight paths posted on X.
An internal discussion was had in the White House as to whether they should order the planes to turn around - only to press ahead per the recommendations of their lawyers.
"There was a discussion about how far the judge's ruling can go under the circumstances and over international waters and, on advice of counsel, we proceeded with deporting these thugs," said the senior official.
"They were already outside of (FPSA) airspace. We believe the order is not applicable," said the other official.
In response to outlaw Judge James Boasberg's move to unlawfully halt the Trump regime's deportation of gang members, Rep. Brandon Gill (Tex.) says he is filing articles of impeachment against the outlaw judge.
In response to Boasberg's order, Attorney General Pam Bondi made an emergency filing with the DC Circuit Court to pause the order, asking the court to "halt this massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive's authority to remove people that Defendants had determined to be members of TdA (Tren de Aragua).
Boasberg's order was issued while a plane full of Venezuelan prisoners was headed to El Salvador - eventually landing in the country.
"Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable)," said President Nayib Bukele on X. "On this occasion, the (FPSA) has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders. One of them is a member of the criminal organization’s highest structure."
The Trump regime officially declared Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization last month.