• Kristi Noem permitted deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador after a judge's order for flights to return.
• The Justice Department asserts Noem’s decision was lawful despite ongoing legal inquiries into possible contempt.
• The deportees were sent under the *Alien Enemies Act* amid accusations of inadequate due process.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a decisive move to allow the deportation of more than 100 Venezuelan men to El Salvador, even after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered that the flights should turn around. The Justice Department stated in a court filing that Noem directed the transfers, arguing that it was lawful and consistent with the court's order, despite Judge Boasberg's earlier directives indicating such removals should be halted. These claims come amidst accusations of "willful disregard" for court rulings from the judicial side, according to CBS News and ABC News.

In the context of the Alien Enemies Act, under which the deportations were conducted, the Trump administration contended that they did not violate Judge Boasberg's orders. Noem's direction was based on legal advice that suggested the men could be deported since they had been removed before the court's ruling was issued. The Justice Department's latest filings emphasize that the court's written order did not strictly forbid such actions, thereby bolstering the administration's stance against charges of contempt for ignoring the judge's directives, as noted by The Hill.

The deportees had been sent to a notorious mega-prison known as CECOT in El Salvador, amidst an extensive deportation effort aimed at Venezuelan gang members. Critics have highlighted a lack of due process for the detainees involved in this situation, arguing that many were processed under hasty and unclear legal frameworks. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), representing some of the detainees, has pushed back, stating that the government's interpretation of the court's orders was fundamentally flawed and that these actions warrant further inquiry into possible violations of legal obligations, according to The Hill and ABC News.

Judge Boasberg's contempt inquiry into the actions of the Trump administration has received renewed attention. A recent appeals court ruling has permitted Boasberg to proceed with his investigation into whether officials, including Noem, defied the court's orders. This development has raised questions regarding the accountability of administration actions in the context of judicial oversight, per CBS News and The Hill.