As we’ve been reporting, President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act against members of the violent Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang and promptly put over 200 of them on a plane to be taken to El Salvador. While the flight was still in the air, Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation of any Venezuelans—and he also demanded that the plane turn around and return the gangsters to the U.S. (Attorney General Pam Bondi has already appealed the ruling.)

The Trump administration ignored the order, however, and the gangbangers were unloaded Sunday in El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has agreed to incarcerate them for a fee.

Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).

The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025

The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.

More--> Activist Nation: Judge Orders Plane Carrying Gangsters Kicked Out by Trump to Turn Around

DC Judge Who Tried to Stop Deportations Gets a Harsh Message From El Salvador's President

But how did the administration justify their not complying with a court order? The left is already freaking out about it, calling it a constitutional crisis and the possible onset of civil war. White House adviser Stephen Miller, however, reportedly said the order did not apply because the flight was already over international waters.

Here’s how it went down, according to a report:

The timeline: The president signed the executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act on Friday night, but intentionally did not advertise it. On Saturday morning, word of the order leaked, officials said, prompting a mad scramble to get planes in the air.

• At 2:31 p.m. Saturday, an immigration activist who tracks deportation flights, posted on X that "TWO HIGHLY UNUSUAL ICE flights" were departing from Texas to El Salvador, which had agreed to accept Venezuelan gang members deported from the U.S.
• Hours later, during a court hearing hours later filed by the ACLU., Boasberg ordered a halt to the deportations and said any flights should be turned around mid-air.
• "This is something that you need to make sure is complied with immediately," he told the Justice Department, according to the Washington Post.
• At that point, about 6:51 p.m., both flights were off the Yucatan Peninsula, according to flight paths posted on X.

The report contends that the White House considered ordering the planes to turn around, but decided against it:

Inside the White House, officials discussed whether to order the planes to turn around. On advice from a team of administration lawyers, the administration pressed ahead.

• "There was a discussion about how far the judge's ruling can go under the circumstances and over international waters and, on advice of counsel, we proceeded with deporting these thugs," the senior official said.
• "They were already outside of US airspace. We believe the order is not applicable," a second senior administration official told Axios.

JUST IN: Trump Administration Defiantly Tells Radical Judge Boasberg to Pound Sand Following Controversial Ruling

The Trump administration clashed with far left DC District Judge James Boasberg after he blocked the deportation of dangerous Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members,… pic.twitter.com/JKJYr7Yjk2

— MAGA Resource (@MAGAResource) March 16, 2025

There will doubtless be a lot of lawfare around this one. The administration did not follow a federal judge’s order, and that’s got the left’s knickers in a twist. The administration's rationale may hold up in court, but expect a lot of screeching until then. As has become the norm in this day and age, though, the Democrats come out looking like ghouls. Here they are saying, “Bring the violent gangbangers back to America!” 

It’s an argument that’s not going to help with their already plummeting approval numbers.