Trump Admin Faces Contempt Charge in Immigration Showdown

Judge Boasberg cites willful defiance in ICE deportation flights to El Salvador.

WASHINGTON—A federal judge on Wednesday found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for defying a court order to halt deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, escalating a legal battle over immigration policy.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the government’s actions on March 15, when it proceeded with deportation flights despite his explicit order to stop, demonstrated “a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.” The decision marks a significant rebuke of the administration’s handling of the controversial deportations.