Grand Theft America / Receipt power-2025-03-15-028
Trump flies 137 Venezuelans to a Salvadoran prison, defying a judge
Trump invokes the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and flies 137 Venezuelans to El Salvador's CECOT prison under the statute, defying Judge Boasberg's order to stop the flights. In July Judge Boasberg finds probable cause for criminal contempt; in December Boasberg rules the men were denied due process and orders the administration to facilitate return or provide due-process hearings.
What happened
Trump invokes the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and flies 137 Venezuelans to El Salvador's CECOT prison under the statute, defying Judge Boasberg's order to stop the flights. In July Judge Boasberg finds probable cause for criminal contempt; in December Boasberg rules the men were denied due process and orders the administration to facilitate return or provide due-process hearings.
Why it matters
Courts, independent agencies and the legal profession are supposed to enforce rules that bind the president too. Weakening them makes accountability harder. It is tracked here under “Defy, slow-walk, or evade court orders”; the classification describes the documented institutional risk, not a claim about motive.
Receipt details
- Phase 1
- Capture the referees
- Defy, slow-walk, or evade court orders
