In a bold move that’s sparking heated debate, Tom Homan, dubbed the Trump administration’s ‘border czar,’ has declared that the president’s mass deportation campaign will charge forward. This comes hot on the heels of a federal judge’s attempt to slam the brakes on the administration’s use of a centuries-old law to expel alleged Venezuelan gang members without a hearing.
Over the weekend, the Trump team didn’t just tiptoe around the ruling—they outright ignored it. On Saturday, roughly 250 suspected migrant gang members were whisked away on flights bound for El Salvador’s sprawling mega prison, despite US District Judge James Boasberg’s explicit directive to ground the planes. The judge had invoked a rare legal challenge to the administration’s reliance on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a statute dusted off from history’s shelves, last wielded during World War II to intern Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants.
But Homan isn’t fazed. Speaking on Fox News Monday morning, he stared down the camera with steely resolve. “They’re not gonna stop us. We made a promise to the American people, President Trump has made a promise to the American people, we’re gonna make this country safe again,” he said, his tone unwavering. “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think, I don’t care what the left thinks, we’re coming.”
The deportees included 238 alleged members of the ruthless Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, alongside 21 MS-13 affiliates, according to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who broke the news Sunday.
A senior administration official later told the New York Post that the group harbored individuals accused of chilling crimes—kidnapping, child s*xual abuse, aggravated assault, pr*stitution, and even attacking a police officer. Yet, no names have been released, leaving the public to ponder the faces behind the charges.
Upon landing in El Salvador, the scene was straight out of a high-stakes action flick. Bukele shared gripping footage of dozens of armed commandos swarming the arrivals, hustling them—heads bowed, hands and feet shackled—into the fortress-like Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). It’s a stark visual of the no-nonsense approach both Trump and Bukele are betting on.
Judge Boasberg, however, had other plans. His order was crystal clear: “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States however that is accomplished,” he wrote, as reported by the Washington Post. “Make sure it’s complied with immediately.” The administration’s defiance has turned this into a legal and political powder keg.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt jumped into the fray Monday via X, pushing back hard. She insisted the administration didn’t “refuse to comply” with the ruling, claiming Boasberg “had no lawful basis” to issue it since the “terrorist TdA aliens” were already gone.
“The written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict,” she argued. Leavitt leaned on Supreme Court precedent, asserting that federal courts can’t meddle in the president’s foreign policy playbook, his powers under the Alien Enemies Act, or his constitutional authority to boot out foreign threats.
“A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrying foreign alien terrorists who were physically expelled from U.S. soil,” she fired off.
The controversy ties back to January, when Trump inked an executive order branding Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist outfit—a move that greased the wheels for federal agents to round up and ship out its members.
The deportation blitz has already netted over 32,000 arrests, with senior Homeland Security officials revealing last week that 70% of those snagged either face charges or have convictions. Exact deportation numbers, though, remain under wraps from the Department of Homeland Security.
As the administration doubles down, the clash between executive muscle and judicial restraint is lighting up the national stage. Homan’s unapologetic stance signals this is just the beginning—promises made, planes in motion, and a country watching to see what sticks.
The Fairview Gazette will keep you updated on any news regarding deportations from the Trump administration.
