WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration will not defy a judge’s order blocking the use of war powers to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, the border czar Tom Homan said on Sunday.
Homan told ABC News’ “This Week” program that the Venezuelans recently deported to El Salvador had been given their due process, according to laws currently on the books, despite criticism by legal experts that the administration is defying judicial decisions.
The Trump administration’s decision to deport 137 Venezuelan migrants last weekend despite a judge’s order blocking the move was viewed by some legal scholars as an escalation in President Donald Trump’s confrontation with the judiciary.
The administration says those deported were members of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, but relatives and immigration advocates for some of the men have said that is not true.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said on Friday he would continue to probe whether the Trump administration violated his order temporarily blocking the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act for deportations after it failed to turn around two flights carrying the Venezuelans.
Homan said he would not defy Boasberg’s order but reiterated that the Trump administration would continue to crack down on what it deems threats to the U.S.
“We’re going to continue to arrest public safety threats and national security threats,” Homan said. “We will keep targeting the worst of the worst.”
(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; editing by Ross Colvin and Paul Simao)
