White House questions authority of judge's verbal order on Venezuelan deportation flights
The White House on Monday cast doubt on the authority of a verbal order from a judge directing the administration to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants out of the country.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt faced several questions during a briefing about the administration’s decision to ignore the order from a federal judge. The judge in the case issued a verbal order shortly before filing a written order in the case directing the planes be turned around.
“All of the planes subject to the written order of this judge departed U.S. soil, U.S. territory before the judge’s written order,” Leavitt said.
“But what about the verbal order, which of course carries the same legal weight as a written order?” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked.
“Well, there’s actually questions about whether a verbal order carries the same weight as a written order, and our lawyers are determined to ask and answer those questions in court,” Leavitt responded.
Her comments came hours before a court hearing on the matter.
President Trump over the weekend signed an order invoking wartime powers to swiftly deport anyone suspected of membership in the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The process does not allow for a hearing, sparking fears it will lead to widespread deportations of Venezuelans without connection to the gang.
But while the order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the deportations from taking effect, the Trump administration was accused of not following the judge’s order to turn around any planes carrying Venezuelans targeted under that order.
Leavitt and other administration officials have vigorously defended the deportations, arguing that those targeted had ties to violent gangs and that their removal made the country safer.
“We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the left thinks. We're coming,” Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, said on Fox News.
Leavitt told reporters that the Trump administration paid the government of El Salvador roughly $6 million to take in those immigrants and house them in their prisons.
The press secretary argued the sum was “pennies on the dollar in comparison to the cost of life and the cost it would impose on the American taxpayer to house these terrorists here in maximum-security prisons here in the United States of America.”
Read more at The Hill
Topics
-
Trump admin live updates: White House asks court to stay deportation flights TRO
Despite a federal judge ordering deportation flights of Venezuelans to cease, video shows more deportees arriving in El Salvador.ABC News - 1d -
Judge incredulous in Trump deportation case as administration lawyers argue verbal court order isn’t binding – live
Judge in Trump deportation case calls administration lawyers’ argument a ‘heck of a stretch’. White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportations What is the Alien Enemies ...The Guardian - 34m -
White House Denies Violating Judge’s Order in Deporting Venezuelans
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, also asserted that the federal courts “have no jurisdiction” over President Trump’s conduct of foreign affairs or his power to expel foreign enemies.The New York Times - 1d -
Judge orders Trump White House to disclose deportation flight details
The Trump administration went to court Monday defending its decision to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and deport hundreds of alleged gang members to El Salvador. On Saturday night, a judge ...CBS News - 1h -
Judge lashes out at Trump admin over deportation flights
A federal judge lashed out at the Trump administration Monday for refusing to answer questions about flights deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act after he ordered them to turn ...The Hill - 2h -
ACLU challenges White House claim it did not defy court order on Venezuelan migrants
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) questioned Monday whether the White House violated a court order directing it to turn around planes carrying Venezuelan migrants. A federal judge in ...The Hill - 10h -
Stephen Miller: Court has 'no authority' in deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members
Senior White House aide Stephen Miller on Monday asserted a federal judge did not have the authority to direct how the administration carried out the deportations of alleged gang members amid a ...The Hill - 4h -
Trump Lawyer Refuses to Answer Judge’s Questions in Deportation Flight Hearing
The Trump administration tried to have the hearing canceled and sought to remove the judge overseeing it, as White House officials took a confrontational stance.The New York Times - 59m -
US deports hundreds of Venezuelans despite court order
The White House says it has removed Venezuelan gang members and denies violating a court order.BBC News - 22h -
Trump administration updates: Officials question court's authority over deportations
The White House faces legal battle over its use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law, under which it is deporting Venezuelans allegedly tied to organized crime.ABC News - 47m -
White House denies defying judge's order over deportations to El Salvador
An order to halt the removal of 261 people came too late and had "no legal basis" anyway, the White House says.BBC News - 8h -
White House denies violating judge’s order with Venezuela deportations
Trump administration used Alien Enemies Act to deport about 250 alleged gang members to El Salvador. US politics live – latest updates The White House has denied allegations that it engaged in ...The Guardian - 4h -
Trump faces new legal battle after deporting Venezuelan migrants
President Donald Trump is defending his administration's controversial deportation of around 300 alleged Venezuelan gang members to a prison in El Salvador. The White House claimed authority for ...NBC News - 13h -
Judge demands to know why order redirecting deportation flights was ignored
The government claimed it was not bound by the judge's order to block flights carrying gang members to El Salvador because it wasn't in writing.CBS News - 20m -
Has the Trump administration violated a court order with deportation of Venezuelan gang members?
Venezuelan gang members were deported from the U.S. under the Trump administration amid a judge issuing a court order against it. NBC News' Danny Cevallos breaks down the legality of the ...NBC News - 9h -
Has the Trump administration violated a court order with deportation of Venezuelan gang members?
Venezuelan gang members were deported from the U.S. under the Trump administration amid a judge issuing a court order against it. NBC News' Danny Cevallos breaks down the legality of the ...NBC News - 9h -
Homan on deportation flights: ‘I don’t care what the judges think’
Border czar Tom Homan said he doesn’t care what the judges think about the deportation flights of Venezuelan gang members as the administration faces a legal battle over the flight. “I’m proud to ...The Hill - 9h -
White House denies ignoring court order blocking some deportations
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., held a hearing late Monday on the Trump administration's use of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. Despite being blocked by the courts, the White House used ...CBS News - 2h -
Watch live: Leavitt briefs White House press corps after deportations to El Salvador
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will brief the press and take questions Monday, coming quick on the heels of a weekend effort to deport dozens of Venezuelans. Secretary of State Marco ...The Hill - 9h -
Judge to hear arguments over administration's failure to recall deportation flights
A judge will hear arguments Monday over whether officials knowingly violated a court order when they handed over 200 alleged gang members to El Salvadoran authorities.ABC News - 4h -
White House touts deportations under Alien Enemies Act after judge block efforts
The Trump administration announced deportations of hundreds of immigrants it alleges are members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.NBC News - 1d -
White House touts deportations under Alien Enemies Act after judge blocks efforts
The Trump administration announced deportations of hundreds of immigrants it alleges are members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.NBC News - 1d -
Trump administration ignores judge's order to divert 2 flights back to US: Sources
President Donald Trump's administration decided to ignore a judge's order to turn around two flights containing alleged Venezuelan gang members, sources said.ABC News - 1d -
Judge blocks deportations under 1798 law, orders flights turned around
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting any noncitizens pursuant to the president's recent proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act.ABC News - 1d -
GOP lawmaker pushes to impeach judge over order to halt deportations
Republican Rep. Brandon Gill (Texas) said he would be pushing to impeach the federal judge who ordered the Trump administration to halt deportations of Venezuelan gang members over the weekend. ...The Hill - 7h -
Trump administration says deportation flights were over international waters before judge's order
The Trump administration over the weekend deported hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act despite a judge ordering them not to. CBS News immigration and politics reporter ...CBS News - 6h -
Trump blocked from using wartime law for deportations
A judge ordered a 14-day halt on deporting Venezuelans under a Trump order that declared them enemies.BBC News - 2d -
Judge in deportation case chides DOJ lawyer for refusing to answer key questions
The court fight focuses on the Trump administration's use of a 1798 law to deport people it claims are part of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.NBC News - 2h -
Second federal judge orders White House to rehire fired probationary workers
The order from U.S. District Judge James Bredar came in a lawsuit filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia against multiple federal agencies alleging the mass firings are illegal.CBS News - 3d -
Judge blocks Trump from using 18th-century wartime act for deportations
Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport five Venezuelans, but order halted by judge. Alien Enemies Act: what is it and can Trump use it to deport gang members? Donald Trump ...The Guardian - 2d -
Semisonic blasts use of 'Closing Time' in White House deportation video
Semisonic said it did not authorize and does not condone the White House's using its hit "Closing Time" in a video that appears to depict deportation, the band said in a statement Monday.NBC News - 5h -
Semisonic blasts use of 'Closing Time' in White House deportation video
Semisonic said it did not authorize and does not condone the White House's using its hit "Closing Time" in a video that appears to depict deportation, the band said in a statement Monday.NBC News - 5h -
DOJ seeks to boot judge questioning Trump deportations, lawyer warns of 'constitutional crisis'
The Trump administration has used the wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to Central America.CNBC - 2h -
Details on upcoming Trump call with Putin, White House's court-defying deportation of Venezuelans
President Trump has expressed optimism ahead of Tuesday's call with Russia's Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang reports on that and the ...CBS News - 11h -
Trump administration deports immigrants despite judge blocking use of Alien Enemies Act
The White House is disregarding a federal judge's ruling on immigration, claiming the court has no authority. The ruling was meant to block the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies ...CBS News - 11h -
Brown University doctor deported despite judge's order
An assistant professor from Brown University’s medical school with a valid visa was deported from the U.S. despite a judge’s order that she was not to be removed. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin, ...The Hill - 10h -
Judge blocks Trump admin from deporting 5 Venezuelans amid plans to invoke Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Saturday preemptively blocked the Trump administration's reported efforts to quickly deport five Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798. The move from ...The Hill - 2d -
White House, courts battle over deportations
The White House is igniting a power struggle between the executive and judicial branches of government.The Hill - 4h -
Trump clash with courts on Venezuela flights cues concerns of constitutional crisis
The Trump administration’s removal of more than 130 Venezuelans amid a court battle to block their deportation has ignited alarm it may have violated a court order barring its use of the Alien ...The Hill - 2h
More from The Hill
-
Trump displays Declaration of Independence copy in the Oval Office
President Trump is displaying a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office after requesting it from the National Archives, according to a photograph he shared on Monday. “The ...The Hill - 54m -
Trump displays Declaration of Independence copy in the Oval Office
President Trump is displaying a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office after requesting it from the National Archives, according to a photograph he shared on Monday. “The ...The Hill - 54m -
Trump taps Bryan Bedford to head FAA
President Trump has tapped Bryan Bedford, the president and CEO of Republic Airways, to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Brian brings over three decades of experience in Aviation ...The Hill - 1h -
The Memo: Trump ratchets up confrontation with judiciary
President Trump and his administration ramped up their confrontation with the judiciary to extraordinary heights Monday, demanding that a judge whose ruling had incurred their disfavor should be ...The Hill - 1h -
Third challenge filed to Trump’s order on transgender troops
Two transgender service members are suing the Trump administration over a pair of executive orders targeting transgender Americans and their implementation by the U.S. military. The lawsuit filed ...The Hill - 1h
More in Politics
-
Canadian Amb. to U.S.: 'Nothing is off the table' when responding to Trump tariffs
Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kristen Hillman joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss President Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on Canada in April.NBC News - 3h -
Schumer postpones book events due to 'security concerns' amid Democratic backlash over shutdown fight
NBC News Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur joins Meet the Press NOW with the latest animosity between Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) as the party fights ...NBC News - 3h -
Steve Kornacki: Democratic Party popularity hits new low in poll
NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss the key takeaways from the new NBC News poll looking into the Democratic Party and President Trump's job ...NBC News - 4h -
Judge cancels hearing for Brown University doctor deported despite his order
Rasha Alawieh, a Rhode Island doctor, was detained on Thursday in Boston after visiting family in Lebanon.CBS News - 5h -
Semisonic blasts use of 'Closing Time' in White House deportation video
Semisonic said it did not authorize and does not condone the White House's using its hit "Closing Time" in a video that appears to depict deportation, the band said in a statement Monday.NBC News - 5h