Trump Administration Fights to Block Contempt Probe Over Deportation Flights

The United States Department of Justice is urging a federal appeals court to maintain a ruling that halted a contempt inquiry into the deportation of immigrants to El Salvador. The administration argues that it did not violate any court orders and that the original investigation by a district court judge constituted an improper intrusion into executive branch national security and foreign policy deliberations.

The legal battle stems from a March 2025 order by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who directed the government to turn around two planes carrying 238 Venezuelan immigrants. These individuals were being sent to a prison in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Judge Boasberg later found probable cause that the administration was in contempt for ignoring the directive, leading to a wide-ranging inquiry.

However, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit stepped in to stop the investigation via a mandamus order. While the American Civil Liberties Union has petitioned the full court to revive the probe, citing reports of abuse and torture faced by the deportees, the government maintains that the district court's injunction did not prohibit its conduct.

The Department of Justice asserts that the appellate court correctly identified the inquiry as an unnecessary clash between the judiciary and the executive. The administration contends that the testimony sought by the lower court was irrelevant and that the legal basis for a criminal contempt referral is nonexistent.