WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday said officials in President Donald Trump’s administration could face criminal prosecution for contempt of court for violating his order last month halting deportations of Venezuelan migrants under a wartime law.
In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington found “probable cause” to hold officials in criminal contempt of court, saying the administration demonstrated “willful disregard” for his March 15 order barring the government from deporting Venezuelan alleged gang members to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.
When Boasberg had issued the order, two planes of Venezuelans were on their way from the United States to El Salvador and had not returned to the United States. He said there was probable cause to find the government in criminal contempt.
“The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions,” Boasberg wrote in his ruling. “None of their responses has been satisfactory.”
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Boasberg said the administration would first have the opportunity to “purge” its contempt before he considers potential criminal prosecution.
He said the “most obvious” way for the administration to avoid contempt would be to allow migrants deported under the law in violation of his order to challenge their removal in court. The judge said that would not require bringing the migrants back to the United States, adding that the administration could “propose other methods of coming into compliance.”
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward, Editing by Franklin Paul and Chizu Nomiyama)
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