In a Friday night hearing, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said he was “sympathetic” to activists’ concerns over the Trump administration’s deportation of illegal aliens under the Alien Enemies Act, but he doesn’t “think I have the power” to stop them.
It was surely frustrating to the activist judge who always seemed to rule harshly against J6ers but has come across as extremely sympathetic to the non-citizen criminals that Trump was trying to send out of our country. A recent Supreme Court ruling tied his hands, however:
US District Judge James Boasberg denied an emergency request from lawyers for alleged Venezuelan gang members… seeking to block “imminent” deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing suspected Tren de Aragua gang members being detained in Texas, had asked Boasberg to issue a temporary restraining order requiring 30 days’ notice from the Trump administration before any of their clients are deported under the 18th-century law after learning the removal notices had recently been issued to detainees.
“I’m sympathetic to your conundrum, but I don’t think I have the power to do anything about it,” Boasberg said during an emergency hearing in the District Court for Washington, DC.
The judge noted that a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month, which lifted his pause on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, determined that if “detainees are confined in Texas … venue is improper in the District of Columbia.”
District Judge James Boasberg just caved to President Trump and said he won’t be stopping deportation flights to El Salvador being flown under the Alien Enemies Act.
District courts can’t dictate foreign police.
That’s what the Supreme Court ruled.
Illegals better self-deport! pic.twitter.com/UBbgNNgQXM
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) April 19, 2025
More: Tuesday Morning Minute: No-Name Judges
Boasberg was clearly annoyed, but had to admit defeat, saying, “It is very concerning, but at this point I just don’t think I have the ability to grant relief to the plaintiffs. I just don’t really see how you’re asking me to do anything different from what the Supreme Court said I couldn’t do.”
Oops, that pesky Supreme Court, interpreting the United States Constitution and doing other annoying stuff.
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING: ACLU filed emergency request for Judge Boasberg to enter another emergency CLASS ACTION TRO after SCOTUS already said he didn’t have jurisdiction. SIGNIFICANTLY, ACLU is asking for immediate action because Court with jurisdiction isn’t giving it what it wants. 1/ pic.twitter.com/Vxa2EzORwH
— Margot Cleveland (@ProfMJCleveland) April 18, 2025
Although no flights are planned Friday night, the Trump Team indicated they could start up again as soon as Saturday:
Before announcing his decision not to get involved, Boasberg pressed an attorney for the administration on whether it will move forward with the deportations Friday night or Saturday.
Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign told Boasberg that while no flights are planned, the Department of Homeland Security said it reserves the right to remove the migrants on Saturday.
This certainly won’t be the last we see from Boasberg, and expect the Democrats to continue full-bore in their efforts to prevent the president from cleaning up the colossal mess left by former President Joe Biden and his “let-them-all-in” border policy.
On this Friday evening, however, I’m betting there’s angry smoke coming out of the good judge’s ears.
