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A federal judge in Washington has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of 137 Venezuelan migrants who were flown to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison last year, a decision that will force the government to arrange travel and paperwork for anyone who wants to come back and challenge their removals. This isn’t a small procedural tweak — the court expressly directed that the U.S. provide boarding letters and, in some cases, pay airfare so these individuals can be flown back to American soil for hearings.
The order came from Chief Judge James Boasberg, an Obama-appointed jurist who has repeatedly clashed with this administration in high-profile cases, and who now presumes to micromanage immigration policy from the bench. Conservatives should not be surprised when a D.C. district judge, installed by a Democratic president, takes an expansive view of judicial power that overrides executive discretion on national security matters.
Boasberg’s remedy is concrete: the government must issue the travel documents and cover the flights for those deportees now in third countries who “so desire” to return, and the court left open other ways for the deported men to press their claims from abroad. The ruling even contemplates that those who come back could be detained and potentially re-deported after their proceedings, which creates a dizzying loop of removal, return, litigation, and possible re-removal paid for by American taxpayers.
Let’s be clear about the stakes: many of the men removed were accused of ties to Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational criminal organization, and yet now a federal judge has ordered the United States to bear the logistical and financial burden of bringing them back. This decision hands a victory to open-borders advocates and forces ordinary Americans to foot the bill while the rule of law and sensible border enforcement are undermined.
The court framed its order around due process, finding that the deportations denied meaningful hearings, and even launched a contempt inquiry after planes were sent off despite a judge’s instruction. That constitutional rhetoric masks a dangerous precedent: if the judiciary can force the executive to reverse removal actions and fund the returns, it dangerously blurs the separation of powers and guarantees more courtroom intervention in immigration policy.
Patriots must demand accountability — from the administration for its handling of removals and from Congress for failing to secure the border and rein in judicial overreach. Voters and lawmakers should insist that the executive have the authority to defend the homeland, and that judges, regardless of who appointed them, not be allowed to substitute their policy preferences for the will of the people and the duties of elected officials.
