What happened during the March deportation operation?

The Justice Department has confirmed that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem personally authorized the controversial deportation of 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador, even as a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to keep the men in U.S. custody. The revelation reopens questions about the chain of command, legal justification, and potential contempt of court.

The deportation took place in March, after President Donald Trump invoked war powers under the Alien Enemies Act to classify the men as members of a transnational gang network. The men were rounded up and expelled with virtually no due process. Instead of being repatriated to Venezuela or held in U.S. detention, they were delivered to a notoriously violent Salvadoran prison system known for harsh and abusive treatment.

According to the newly disclosed Justice Department filing, Noem made the final call to release the men into Salvadoran custody. Her decision followed legal advice from top DOJ and DHS officials, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and then-Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove. Government lawyers argued that the judge’s oral order could be disregarded because the flights had “already left U.S. airspace.”

The deported men remained in El Salvador for months until a U.S.-brokered prisoner swap facilitated their release back to Venezuela.

This disclosure marks the first time the administration has identified a senior official responsible for instructing DHS to move forward despite an active federal directive blocking the transfer.

Why does Kristi Noem’s decision matter?

Kristi Noem’s involvement adds a new and politically charged layer to an already unprecedented episode. The decision intersects with three high-stakes issues: immigration enforcement, executive power, and judicial authority.

It challenges judicial authority

Judge James Boasberg had issued a clear oral order on March 15 preventing the deportation flights from proceeding. Government lawyers now contend the order was “ineffective.” Boasberg, an Obama appointee, later stated the administration likely engaged in criminal contempt, and he resumed contempt proceedings after an appeals court lifted a temporary hold.

The Supreme Court later ruled 6-3 that Boasberg lacked jurisdiction over the men’s emergency lawsuit but separately blocked further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The ruling did not address whether federal officials violated the judge’s March 15 directive, which is now the focus of the contempt inquiry.

It exposes unusual legal interpretation inside the DOJ

The legal theory that an oral federal court order carries no force once a deportation flight leaves U.S. airspace is highly unorthodox. Veteran immigration lawyers say it contradicts long-standing practice, where oral orders are regularly treated as binding until superseded by written rulings.

The ACLU argues that senior career DOJ lawyers warned political appointees that the order must be followed, yet their advice was overridden. One former DOJ official, Erez Reuveni, has alleged that Bove told colleagues they should “defy” any court order that impeded the deportation. Bove, now a federal appeals court judge, denies the claim.

It raises questions about White House involvement

The Justice Department filing does not clarify whether President Trump or senior White House staff had input in the final decision, leaving open a significant gap in the timeline. Boasberg has indicated the government’s explanation “raises more questions than it answers.”

How did the deportation unfold, and what went wrong?

The deportees were apprehended under an extraordinary legal maneuver. Trump invoked war powers under the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old law historically used in wartime to control or detain nationals of enemy states. Using it to classify migrants as gang-affiliated and therefore deportable set a new precedent.

Three issues made the process chaotic:

1. Virtually no due process

The men were classified as enemy actors and removed with minimal hearings, leaving no meaningful opportunity to challenge their designation.

2. A contested court order

Boasberg’s oral order came as the flights were preparing to leave. Government lawyers instructed DHS that the order was effectively nonbinding.

3. Transfer to an abusive foreign prison

Instead of repatriation, the men were placed in the Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center. The facility is known for prolonged isolation, extreme overcrowding, and lack of medical oversight. Human rights groups say the men were held in conditions that violated international standards.

The U.S. later helped negotiate a prisoner swap that returned all 100 men to Venezuela, but the episode has triggered a rare clash among DOJ, DHS, and the judiciary over who authorized what, and whether the transfer was lawful.

What happens next in the contempt proceedings?

Boasberg is pressing forward with efforts to determine who ignored his order and why the administration believed it could continue the operation. Lawyers for the deported men are now urging the judge to demand sworn testimony from nine current and former officials, including:

• Emil Bove
• Todd Blanche
• Erez Reuveni
• Senior DHS officials involved in the March 15 operation

The Justice Department argues that contempt proceedings are unnecessary and that live testimony would be improper.

However, Boasberg has stated he “intends to find out what happened that day,” with or without the administration’s cooperation.

A hearing could force the Justice Department to publicly detail internal communications that have so far remained shielded.

Why does the case have national implications

It tests the limits of war powers in immigration

Using the Alien Enemies Act to justify mass deportations pushes U.S. executive authority into untested territory. Future administrations could cite this case as precedent.

It highlights potential gaps in judicial enforcement

If senior officials can dismiss an oral court order during an emergency operation, courts may struggle to uphold constitutional checks during rapid executive actions.

It exposes internal fractures inside DOJ

Public filings show a split between senior career officials and political appointees. That tension could influence broader immigration and enforcement policy.

It raises accountability questions

If Kristi Noem made the call based on contested legal advice, it remains unclear who bears ultimate responsibility for the unlawful transfer—a key issue for both lawmakers and advocacy groups.

What we still don’t know

Several questions remain unanswered:

1. Did the White House approve Kristi Noem’s decision?
2. What exactly was said in internal DOJ and DHS deliberations?
3. Why were alternative holding facilities, including U.S. military sites, not used?
4. What were the exact conditions the men faced in the Salvadoran prison, and did U.S. officials anticipate such treatment?
5. Will contempt findings lead to criminal referrals or only administrative consequences?

These gaps make the investigation a politically volatile issue—especially with Kristi Noem’s rising national profile and her alignment with Trump’s immigration agenda.