Salvadoran prison guards escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the MS-13 gang recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, in Tecoluca, El Salvador April 12, 2025. Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Judge Finds Probable Cause to Hold Trump Officials in Criminal Contempt Over Deportations
April 9, 2025 — WASHINGTON — A U.S. federal judge has found probable cause to hold members of the Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating a court order halting deportations of Venezuelan migrants, escalating a legal standoff between the executive and judicial branches.
In a written ruling issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg determined that officials demonstrated “willful disregard” for his March 15 injunction, which barred the government from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime statute.
Boasberg’s decision marks the most severe judicial rebuke yet of the administration, as it faces mounting legal scrutiny over its rapid and controversial immigration actions.
Court Cites ‘Willful Disregard’ of Order
Boasberg noted that at the time he issued his injunction, two planes carrying Venezuelan migrants had already departed the United States en route to El Salvador. Despite having been given time to comply or explain its actions, the administration’s responses were deemed unsatisfactory.
“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” Boasberg wrote. “None of their responses has been satisfactory.”
The administration maintains it did not violate the order, arguing in court filings that the deportations had already been completed, as the aircraft had exited U.S. airspace before the ruling was issued. Justice Department lawyers also challenged Boasberg’s authority to compel the government to return migrants already removed from U.S. territory.
Opportunity to Avoid Prosecution
While Boasberg’s ruling establishes probable cause, it does not constitute a final determination of criminal contempt. He stated that the administration would have the opportunity to “purge” its contempt before further legal consequences are considered.
The judge indicated that the “most obvious” path toward compliance would be to permit the deported individuals to legally challenge their removal, without necessarily requiring their physical return to the United States. He also invited the administration to propose alternative means of complying with the order.
Broader Legal Challenges Against Trump Administration
The contempt ruling adds to a growing number of legal challenges against President Trump’s policies. More than 150 lawsuits have been filed in the administration’s first three months, many concerning immigration enforcement, trade measures, and executive authority.
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and legal scholars, have raised concerns that the administration is deliberately slow-walking compliance with judicial decisions it opposes, testing the boundaries of constitutional checks and balances.
Just one day prior, a federal judge in Maryland declined to hold the administration in contempt in a separate deportation case but stated that she would intensify her inquiry into possible violations of her order. That case involves a migrant whom the administration acknowledges was wrongfully deported to El Salvador.
The Trump administration has not issued an official response to Boasberg’s ruling.
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