Trump Wins Relief As US Court Blocks Probe Into Venezuela Deportation Flights Row

Last Updated:April 14, 2026, 23:08 IST

The ruling came from a divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

A US appeals court on Tuesday delivered a legal victory for President Donald Trump, blocking a lower court judge from investigating whether his administration deliberately violated a court order to halt deportation flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.

The ruling came from a divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which in a 2-1 decision stopped US District Judge James Boasberg from continuing contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials, Reuters reported.

The dispute centred on whether the administration ignored a March 2025 court order that directed officials to turn around aircraft transporting Venezuelan migrants out of the United States under a controversial use of the Alien Enemies Act.

The appeals court majority held that Boasberg had overstepped his authority by seeking sworn testimony from senior executive branch officials. The judges said such an inquiry risked intruding into sensitive matters involving national security and foreign policy.

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Writing for the majority, Circuit Judge Neomi Rao said the district court’s move amounted to an improper attempt to “probe high-level Executive Branch deliberations about matters of national security and diplomacy." She also described the contempt proceedings as an “abuse of discretion."

Judge Justin Walker joined the majority opinion, while Judge J Michelle Childs dissented, warning that the decision could limit judicial oversight in cases involving alleged violations of court orders.

The contempt proceedings had been initiated after Boasberg found probable cause that officials may have acted in “bad faith" by continuing deportation flights while legal proceedings were still ongoing. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Venezuelan migrants challenging their removal.

The migrants had been deported to a prison in El Salvador and later returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap. The US government has alleged they were linked to criminal gangs, a claim disputed by lawyers and families.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Boasberg, calling him a “Radical Left Lunatic" and accusing him of bias in multiple rulings against his administration.

(With inputs from Reuters)

News world Trump Wins Relief As US Court Blocks Probe Into Venezuela Deportation Flights Row

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