“On advice of counsel, we proceeded with deporting these thugs,”

By Christina Aguayo News, March 17, 2025

The Trump administration says it ignored a judge’s order to turn around two planeloads of Venezuelan criminals because the flights were over international waters – so the ruling did not apply, according to senior officials in the White House

The Trump administration says that US District Judge James Boasberg overstepped his authority when he ruled that President Trump cold not deport about 250 illegal migrant criminals who are said to be members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua – under the Alien Enemies Act of 1789.

The White House expects the case to go to the Supreme Court, and they believe they will win.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly “orchestrated” the flights in the West Wing along with DHS Secretary Kristy Noem in a ‘brilliant’ move made just before the Judge made his ruling to block deportations.

The president signed the executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act on Friday night, intentionally keeping it under wraps.

Saturday morning, the order leaked prompting a mad dash to get planes in the air.

Saturday afternoon, a migrant activist who tracks deportation flights posted to 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, judge Boasberg ordered a stop to the deportations and said any flights should be turned around mid-air.

At that point both flights were off the Yucatan Peninsula, according to flight paths posted on X.

An internal discussion was had in the White House as to whether they should order the planes to turn around – they decided against it.

“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,” said the senior official.

“They were already outside of US airspace. We believe the order is not applicable,” said the other official.