Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledged in a court filing that she decided to hand over Venezuelan detainees on two March flights to El Salvador despite Judge James Boasberg’s temporary order to return the planes.
- Justice Department officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and then‑DOJ official Emil Bove, declined to detail their guidance to Noem, invoking privilege, while DHS acting general counsel Joseph Mazarra said he advised Noem after analyzing the court’s directive.
- DOJ argued the judge’s oral instructions were defective and the order ambiguous, urged the court not to compel testimony, and said the record already permits a decision on any contempt referral.
- Boasberg has resumed fact‑finding after an appeals panel vacated his earlier probable‑cause contempt finding but allowed his inquiry to continue, and the full appeals court declined to reinstate the prior order.
- The administration used the Alien Enemies Act to send more than 100 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador’s CECOT facility; a whistleblower’s claim that Bove pushed to proceed "no matter what" is disputed, and the Supreme Court later voided Boasberg’s removal‑blocking order for lack of jurisdiction.