Overview
- On NBC’s Meet the Press, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said decisions on where and when deportation flights go are hers and rejected claims she ignored a court order.
- The Justice Department told a federal court last week that Noem decided to let detainees already en route continue to El Salvador after Judge James Boasberg’s directives were relayed to DHS counsel.
- The filing centers on Venezuelan men the administration alleges are tied to the Tren de Aragua gang and on flights routed to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
- Boasberg’s March orders directed the return of the men to the United States and instructed the administration to stop removals under the AEA, and an appeals court recently cleared him to advance fact‑finding on potential contempt.
- Legal experts and political observers characterized Noem’s interview answer as an admission and urged court action, though Noem maintained she followed the law.