WASHINGTON: A US judge has warned the Trump administration that it could face consequences if it is found to have ignored a court order temporarily halting the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, while also granting officials more time to explain their actions.

Washington-based US District Judge James Boasberg stated that the administration could choose to invoke the state secrets doctrine, which safeguards sensitive national security information from being disclosed in civil litigation, and justify its actions rather than provide details on deportation flights.

Boasberg signalled he was sceptical that compliance with the order would endanger national security, citing a post on X by Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailing the flights.

The judge’s order marked a temporary reprieve in an escalating dispute with Donald Trump’s administration. The Republican president called for Boasberg’s impeachment on Tuesday, drawing a rare rebuke from the Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts.

Boasberg, who was appointed to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, is evaluating whether the administration violated his weekend order blocking the deportation of hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.

Following the order, three planes carrying deported Venezuelans landed in El Salvador, where the migrants are being held.

Boasberg requested details on when the first two planes took off and landed, stating that the information would not be made public. In response, the Trump administration accused him of overstepping his authority.

“The pending questions are grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority,” the administration wrote in a Wednesday court filing.

Boasberg responded by extending the administration’s deadline.

He clarified that he sought the information not as part of a “judicial fishing expedition,” as the Trump administration had claimed, but “to determine if the Government deliberately flouted its Orders … and, if so, what the consequences should be.” The judge did not specify potential repercussions.

Trump labels judge a ‘troublemaker’

Trump critics and some legal experts have expressed concern over a potentially looming constitutional crisis if his administration defies judicial rulings, as under the US Constitution, the executive and judiciary are co-equal branches of government.

Trump stated in an interview late on Tuesday on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle that his administration would not defy any court orders and expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would rule in his favour regarding the deported Venezuelans.

However, Trump has lashed out at Boasberg. In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment in a congressional process that, although highly unlikely to succeed, would lead to his removal, describing the judge as a far-left “troublemaker and agitator.”

Boasberg was confirmed to the bench in 2011 in a 96-0 vote by the bipartisan US Senate.

Roberts, a member of the US Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority, rebuked Trump for his impeachment call, asserting that an appeal, not impeachment, was the proper course when disagreeing with a judicial ruling.

Administration Defends Deportation Flights

In blocking the deportations for two weeks on Saturday, Boasberg stated that the 1798 Alien Enemies Act did not justify Trump’s assertion that Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua’s presence in the United States was equivalent to an act of war.

During a court hearing on Saturday, while two planes carrying deported migrants were in the air, Boasberg instructed Justice Department lawyers that any plane containing deportees covered under the order must return to the United States immediately. A written order was officially filed at 7:25 p.m. EDT (2325 GMT), approximately 40 minutes after Boasberg issued his oral ruling in court.

Those two planes landed in Honduras after the order was filed and continued on to El Salvador.

A third deportation flight departed from a Texas airport after Boasberg’s order was made public.

Justice Department lawyers argued in court papers on Tuesday that Boasberg’s spoken orders in court were not enforceable and that deportees aboard the third flight were not being deported solely under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

Neither the Justice nor State Departments immediately responded to requests for comment.