The White House said massive deportation would continue when it challenged the judge’s order.
A federal judge said on March 20 that the Trump administration’s response to his request for details on the timing of deportation flights that would shut down hundreds of Venezuelans from the United States was “severely inadequate” and accused him of seeking duties and observing responsibility under the order.
US District Judge James Boasberg is considering whether the administration violated its March 15th order.
On Thursday, he issued a new order, explaining to Justice Department officials until March 25th why their actions to not return deported illegal immigrants to the United States did not violate his previous order.
The new ruling further heightens tensions between the Trump administration and the judicial department. White House officials accused the judge of opposing their actions as “partisan activists.” President Donald Trump said his administration would not ignore the court’s orders and would appeal the ruling.
Boasberg said the Trump administration “averted responsibility” in a response submitted Thursday after seeking further information on the timing of deportation flights.
The judge said Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have filed statements with courts outside of public view. The statement reiterated information the administration had already provided regarding the flight. He also did not say whether the government intended to invoke legal doctrines on the secrets of the state to avoid providing details of deportation, Boasberg added.
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Instead, ICE officials have debated whether an unknown Cabinet official would evoke the doctrine of state secrets, saying the 24 hours Boasberg gave the administration to respond was insufficient for national security issues.
“This is seriously inadequate,” Boasberg wrote in his ruling regarding the response.
The judge was previously skeptical that Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted information about social platform X flights, which involved the privilege of keeping the secret that he reveals national security details in a civil lawsuit.
It is normal for material sent to a judge to be present in public when accompanied by sensitive issues, but Boasberg added that the administrative authorities told him that some of the information could be revealed to him.
Previously, the judge said he was trying to see if the administration had violated the order, giving him a chance to explain more about the flight and its timing.
Boasberg’s ruling on Thursday, which came as an “order to show the cause,” was the first time he directly ordered administration officials whether he violated the March 15 order.
Reuters contributed to this report.
