Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling claiming the federal government violated the due process rights of a group of Venezuelan illegal immigrants that it deported to El Salvador earlier this year.
The individuals who were sent to El Salvador were housed in the country’s CECOT mega-prison, which has been criticized for alleged human rights abuses. The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to justify the deportations and clashed with Boasberg on multiple occasions in 2025.
Boasberg held that the U.S. government still had authority over the deportees even though they were imprisoned at CECOT. They were later sent back to Venezuela. This means the court still has the power ot hear their habeas corpus claims.
🚨 BREAKING: Conservatives are demanding the immediate impeachment of rogue Judge James Boasberg after he ordered a "hearing" and "due process" for over 130 Venezuelan ILLEGAL ALIEN CRIMINALS removed under the Alien Enemies Act
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) December 23, 2025
ENOUGH!
Boasberg is NOT President of the United… pic.twitter.com/0rcIh8KNbe
In his ruling, Boasberg said the men were deported “with virtually no notice and no opportunity to contest the bases of their removal, in clear contravention of their due-process rights.” He argued that “our law requires no less” than giving these individuals a real opportunity to challenge their deportations.
The White House claimed many of those deported were suspected members of the deadly Tren de Aragua street gang.
Judge Boasberg is ordering the Trump Administration to return illegal gang members already deported to El Salvador.
— C3 (@C_3C_3) December 23, 2025
Judge Boasberg’s daughter works at a NGO that gives legal aid to illegal gang members.
Of course. pic.twitter.com/1da7gv7dD3
The court ruling lays out three conclusions. Firstly, it found that the federal government retained “constructive custody,” which means the El Salvadoran government was acting as a proxy for the U.S., meaning the men were still under U.S. control.
We at @NPR have been reporting for months on the Venezuelan men sent to CECOT by the US. They described being subjected to violence, including sexual abuse, by guards. Their stories, also reported by other outlets, matter. https://t.co/iEXUwwFuDi
— Sergio Martínez-Beltrán (@SergioMarBel) December 22, 2025
Secondly, the court established that it has the authority to hear their habeas corpus cases and certify the group of “all noncitizens removed from U.S. custody and transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador on March 15 and 16, 2025, pursuant solely to the Presidential Proclamation.”
Lastly, Boasberg determined that this group “was denied their due-process rights and will thus require the Government to facilitate their ability to obtain such hearing.”