The Trump administration openly defied a federal court order over the weekend, deporting hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants under an obscure 18th-century law while celebrating the move on social media. The deportations, which lacked due process and were justified under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, were carried out despite a federal judge’s explicit order to halt the removals. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation from legal scholars, human rights organizations, and political leaders who warn that the administration’s actions signal an erosion of judicial authority and a shift toward authoritarian governance.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration forcibly deported more than 200 Venezuelans despite a federal court order blocking the removals. The deportees were alleged gang members, but no due process was provided to assess individual cases. U.S. Vice President JD Vance justified the deportations, stating, “There were violent criminals and rapists in our country… President [Donald] Trump deported them.”
Legal experts and human rights organizations quickly denounced the administration’s actions. Norman Ornstein, a political scientist, responded to Vance’s statement with outrage: “You are beyond vile. You have no idea if the ones that were picked up and sent illegally to an El Salvador prison are all violent criminals. You abused the plain language of the law, gave them no due process, and defied a legitimate court order. This is American Gestapo.”
The administration justified its actions under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a law that allows the president to deport nationals from countries with which the U.S. is at war. However, legal experts argue that the U.S. is not currently at war with Venezuela, making its use of the law legally dubious. The American Immigration Council’s Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote, “Not a single president in the history of the United States has ever asserted the authority to unilaterally deport someone outside of the procedures set by Congress until now, and the Supreme Court has emphasized that Congress is supreme on immigration.”
The deported Venezuelans were sent to El Salvador under an agreement with President Nayib Bukele, who has been accused of authoritarian tactics and human rights abuses. The Trump administration agreed to pay $6 million annually to house deportees in El Salvador’s notoriously violent prison system.
Bukele mocked the federal court’s ruling, dismissing it with a social media post that read, “Oopsie… too late.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Bukele’s sentiment, sharing the post in apparent approval. Bukele also posted a video showing the arrival of the deportees, which Rubio responded to by saying, “Thank you for your assistance and friendship, President Bukele.”
El Salvador’s prisons are infamous for their inhumane conditions, with reports of torture and extreme overcrowding. Amnesty International warned that the deportations represent “yet another example of the Trump administration’s racist targeting, detaining, and deporting of Venezuelans—many of whom haven’t even been ordered deported—based on sweeping claims of gang affiliation.”
While much of the focus remained on the mass deportation of Venezuelans, another case highlighted the administration’s broader disregard for judicial authority. Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University’s medical school, was deported in defiance of a separate court order.
Alawieh, a Lebanese citizen and legal U.S. resident for six years, was detained upon returning from a visit to her home country. Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ordered that the government provide 48 hours’ notice before deporting Alawieh, but the administration ignored the ruling and placed her on a flight to Paris, presumably en route to Lebanon.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned her removal, stating: “As a U.S. resident for six years and a doctor working for the Division of Kidney Disease and Hypertension at Brown Medicine, Dr. Alawieh played a critical role in treating countless patients who needed treatment by a specialist. Deporting lawful immigrants like Dr. Alawieh without any basis undermines the rule of law and reinforces suspicion that our immigration system is turning into an anti-Muslim, white supremacist institution that seeks to expel and turn away as many Muslims and people of color as possible.”
The administration’s defiance of the court order sparked backlash from the federal judiciary, but instead of backing down, elected Republicans escalated their attacks on the courts. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) announced plans to impeach Judge James Boasberg, who issued the restraining order blocking the deportations.
In a post on X, Gill declared, “I’ll be filing articles of impeachment against activist Judge James Boasberg this week.” His threat gained traction among other House Republicans and Elon Musk, a close Trump ally who has previously supported efforts to remove judges who rule against conservative policies.
Boasberg’s order specifically instructed the administration to halt deportation flights and return any planes in the air. However, the White House claimed it ignored the ruling because the planes were “over international waters” at the time, a justification that legal scholars say does not hold up in court.
The administration’s reliance on the Alien Enemies Act—previously invoked to justify the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II—has raised alarm among civil rights groups. The ACLU responded to Trump’s latest actions, stating, “It’s increasingly clear that we’re entering a modern McCarthy moment. When the government is targeting a former ambassador, a legal permanent resident, law firms, and even universities and treating them like enemies of the state, it is a dark day for American democracy.”
Legal experts predict that the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act will face a Supreme Court challenge. A senior White House official told Axios, “This is headed to the Supreme Court. And we’re going to win.”
The move to deport individuals without due process, openly defy court orders, and attack the judiciary raises serious concerns about the rule of law in the United States. Amnesty International USA warned that the administration’s actions represent “the complete erosion of human rights for Venezuelans seeking safety.”
Pro-democracy group Free Speech for People has called for renewed congressional scrutiny of the administration’s disregard for judicial authority. “The U.S. continues its racist slide toward authoritarian practices,” the organization wrote on social media.
The Trump administration’s actions over the weekend mark a dramatic escalation in its defiance of the judiciary. By ignoring a federal court order, leveraging an antiquated wartime law, and deporting legal residents and asylum seekers without due process, the administration is testing the limits of executive power.
The use of El Salvador’s brutal prison system as a de facto holding facility for deportees, the administration’s coordinated attack on the courts, and Republican efforts to remove judges who rule against Trump’s policies all point to a dangerous trend.
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