James Boasberg, chief judge of the U.S. District Court, in Washington, D.C., on March 13, 2023. (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty)
Republicans have been piling on Boasberg after he issued a 14-day restraining order halting the Trump administration from deporting violent Venezuelan gang members who entered the U.S. illegally, via powers laid out in the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act.
Last used during World War II, the Alien Enemies Act was implemented in advance of a potential war with the French at the time, due to fears that immigrants would sympathize with France. The law provides the president broad powers to imprison or deport noncitizens during a time of war.
"Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the whole country. This time to benefit foreign gang members," Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, posted on X. "If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis. Senate Judiciary Cmte taking action."
TRUMP THANKS EL SALVADOR FOR TAKING IN ALLEGED GANG MEMBERS DEPORTED FROM US: ‘WE WILL NOT FORGET’
Trump is pictured next to Tren de Aragua gang members. (Edward Romero/Getty Images)
Boasberg's ruling came in response to a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and left-wing legal advocacy group Democracy Forward. The lawsuit alleged that Trump's intent to use his "wartime authority" to deport dangerous illegal immigrants was unlawful, since the U.S. is not in the midst of a "declared war."
The lawsuit followed a proclamation signed by Trump on Saturday, which alleged that violent gang members belonging to the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang were "conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States." Last month, Trump moved to designate a slew of Mexican drug cartels, including TdA, as "Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs)."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Gill to glean more exact details about when he plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Boasberg, but did not hear back in time for publication of this story.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-who-ordered-deportations-flights-venezuelan-gang-members-returned-faces-impeachment-calls