While the White House insists that it complies with a recent order of the court temporarily preventing the president from invoking an authority rarely used in wartime, the examination of theft data by ABC News and the court documents suggest that the Trump administration ignored the court's decision.
The dispute came after President Donald Trump invoked a secular law which would give him the opportunity to expel any non-citizen with little or no regular procedure.
After a group of non -citizens – alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren from Aragua – continued to prevent their imminent deportations, the American district judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to direct two flights carrying non -citizens to the UNITED STATES More than 45 minutes before the first of the two flights landed in Honduras.
The two flights carrying non-citizens took off from Valley International Airport in Texas during a break before an audience emergency court on the legality of deportations, and thefts were in the air when judge Boasberg made his final decision.
The alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren of Aragua who were expelled by the United States government, are detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoleca, El Salvador in a photo obtained on March 16, 2025.
PRENSA PRENSA secretaria via AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration recognized Sunday in a legal file which he had already withdrawn “certain gang members subject to the abolition of the proclamation”; However, they argued that the non-citizens had been sent before the court rendered its order at 7:26 p.m.
But judge Boasberg had ordered to “ensure that (order) is respected immediately” at 6:46 pm, flights landed in Honduras at 7:37 pm and 8:10 pm before making the short trip to Salvador later in the evening.
In a statement to ABC News, the press secretary of the White House, Karoline Leavitt, said that the Trump administration “had not” refused to comply “to an order of the court” and that “the written order of the court and the actions of the administration are not in conflict”.
“A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier full of foreign foreign terrorists who were physically expelled from the American soil,” said Leavitt.
A complete chronology of the events is below:
Friday March 14
Sources tell ABC News that President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation invoking the law on extraterrestrial enemies to expel alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren of Aragua, arguing that the group is a “hybrid criminal state that perpetuates an invasion and a predatory incursion in the United States”.
The proclamation is not announced by the White House until Saturday afternoon.
Saturday March 15
2 am: five Venezuelans men represented by the American American Liberties Union and the Democracy Forward Foundation pursue the Trump administration to prevent their “imminent dismissal”.
11:30 am: American district judge James Boasberg issues a temporary prohibition order preventing the Trump administration from deporting the five men using the Extraterrestrial Enemies Act. He established an emergency hearing at 5 p.m.
1 p.m.: The Trump administration files a notice of appeal to contest the temporary prohibition order of Boasberg.
The alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren of Aragua who were expelled by the United States government, are detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoleca, El Salvador in a photo obtained on March 16, 2025.
PRENSA PRENSA secretaria via AFP via Getty Images
3.30pm: Two buses carrying migrants leave the El Valle detention center in Raymondville, Texas. Jaime Diez, a local immigration lawyer, captures a video showing a bus escorted by the police that came out of the installation at 3:36 p.m. on the way to Valley International Airport.
3:51 p.m.: The White House issues a press release announcing that Trump had invoked the Act respecting extraterrestrial enemies to begin to expel the alleged members of Tren de Aragua.
5 p.m.: Boasberg begins an emergency hearing to consider extending its temporary ban prescription to cover any non-citizen covered by the recent proclamation of Trump.
5:22 p.m.: Boasberg pauses for the hearing so that lawyers of the Ministry of Justice can confirm whether the Trump administration actively deports non-citizens in accordance with the AEA declaration. He says that he plans to deliver a wider order to block the expulsion of any non-citizen covered by the proclamation, noting that the ACLU has demonstrated “the damage that will make individual applicants during withdrawal”.
5:25 p.m.: The first flight (G66143) carrying alleged members of Tren of Aragua subject to the proclamation of Trump leaves Harlingen, Texas en route to Comayagua, Honduras.
5:44 p.m.: The second flight (G66145) carrying alleged members of Tren of Aragua leaves.
6:05 p.m.: Boasberg takes over the emergency audience. Deputy Prosecutor General Drew Ensign first refused to say if deportations were underway, saying that the disclosure of “operational details” would raise “national security problems”. He later recognized that two flights had already left.
Salvadoral police escorts members of the members of the Venezuelan gang Tren of Aragua recently expelled by the United States government to be imprisoned in the prison of the Terrorism Center for Terrorism, in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, obtained on March 16, 2025.
PRESENCIA PRENSA secretaria via Reuters
6:44 p.m.: Boasberg says that he will issue a temporary prohibition order blocking the expulsion of any non-citizen subject to the proclamation of Trump. “Flights are actively starting and plan to leave. I don't think I can wait any longer,” he said.
6:46 pm: Boasberg orders the Doj to immediately turn two planes if they transport non-citizens covered by his order.
“You will immediately inform your customers of any plane containing these people who will take off or in the air must be returned to the United States,” he said. “However, this is accomplished, turning on the plane, or not to board anyone on the plane … This is something you need to make sure that you are immediately respected,” he added.
7:26 p.m.: Boasberg makes a brief written order commemorating his decision.
7:37 p.m.: The first expulsion flight (G66143) which left Texas arrives in Honduras.
8:10 p.m.: The second expulsion flight (G66145) arrives in Honduras.
9 p.m.: The Trump administration files a notice of appeal to contest the temporary prohibition order of Boasberg.
11:39 p.m.: The first deportation flight (G66143) leaves Honduras for San Salvador, El Salvador.
11:43 p.m.: The second deportation flight (G66145) leaves Honduras for San Salvador, El Salvador.
Sunday March 16
00:10: The first expulsion flight (G66143) lands in Salvador.
00:18: The second deportation flight (G66145) lands in Salvador.
1 H: The Trump administration files an emergency request with the short circuit of DC to maintain the temporary prohibition prescription from Boasberg.
Over the next day: more than 230 presumed members of Tren of Aragua are transferred from the American guard to the center of confinement of terrorism of El Salvador. The Trump administration later recognized that “certain gang members” subject to the president's proclamation had already been deleted, but said that their expulsion had preceded the court order.
The alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren of Aragua who were expelled by the United States government, are detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoleca, El Salvador in a photo obtained on March 16, 2025.
PRESENCIA PRENSA secretaria via Reuters
“Federal defendants report in more detail, on the basis of information from the Ministry of Internal Security, which certain gang members subject to the abolition of the proclamation had already been withdrawn from the United States territory under the proclamation before the issue of the second ordinance of this Court,” said MJ lawyers in the deposit on Sunday afternoon.
7:46 am: The president of Salvadoran El Nayib Bukele shares a story of New York Post on the order of Boasberg, writing “Oopsy … Too late”, with an emoji laughing.
7:50 am: Secretary of state Marco Rubio announces that the United States has “sent more than 250 members of Tren from Aragua, extraterrestrial enemies, that Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good prisons at a fair price that will also spare our dollars taxpayers”.
8:13 am: Bukele announces on X that the United States paid in El Salvador “a very low price” to hold 238 alleged members of Tren of Aragua for a year.
The alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren of Aragua who were expelled by the United States government, are detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoleca, El Salvador in a photo obtained on March 16, 2025.
PRENSA PRENSA secretaria via AFP via Getty Images
8:39 am: Rubio shares Bukele's post, writing: “Thank you for your help and friendship, President Bukele.”
9:15 am: Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announces that the Trump administration had “extracted and withdrawn” almost “300 terrorists from Tren de Aragua” in El Salvador.
3:54 p.m.: Trump shares Bukele's video on Truth Social, thank you El Salvador for taking the United States “monsters”
5.30 p.m.: In a judicial file, the Trump administration says that it respects the court order but promised to continue to expel the non-citizens. The Ministry of Justice also acknowledged that the Trump administration had expelled “gang members” yesterday subject to the law on extraterrestrial enemies, but said that the moves had come before the court rendered its order.
