A Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment against Judge James Boasberg after his order blocked deportation flights authorized by President Trump targeting members of a Venezuelan criminal gang.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A move to impeach U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg was initiated by Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, following Boasberg’s emergency legal order that stopped deportation flights authorized by President Donald Trump under the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act. The flights were aimed at expelling individuals affiliated with the criminal Venezuelan syndicate Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The action by Gill follows weeks of escalating tension between the executive branch and the judiciary and culminates in formal allegations of overreach and abuse of power by Boasberg, according to Fox News.
“For the past several weeks, we’ve seen several rogue activist judges try to impede the president from exercising, not only the mandate voters gave him, but his democratic and constitutional authority to keep the American people safe,” Gill said in a public statement. “This is another example of a rogue judge overstepping his…authority.”
Gill’s impeachment resolution accuses Boasberg of undermining national security by forcing the Trump administration to reverse deportation flights mid-route. “Chief Judge Boasberg required President Trump to turn around planes midair that had aliens associated with Tren De Aragua, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization,” the resolution states. It further contends that Boasberg’s decision “jeopardizes the safety of the nation, represents an abuse of judicial power, and is detrimental to the orderly functioning of the judiciary.”
Rep. Gill Articles of Impeachment Judge James Boasberg Final 1 by yourNEWS Media
Ahead of formally filing the resolution, Gill indicated he wanted to follow traditional impeachment procedures, starting with the House Judiciary Committee. “I’ll be talking to [Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio] about it,” Gill said in an interview. “I think the best way to do this…is to go through the judiciary committee, which is where impeachment of judges runs through. I think the more we can stick with that plan, the better.”
Boasberg’s verbal order issued late Saturday night imposed a 14-day pause on Trump’s deportation efforts following challenges from human rights advocates who raised concerns that legitimate asylum seekers could be wrongly deported. In response, Trump officials argued that Boasberg’s written order was entered after two planes had already departed with deportees onboard and could not legally be reversed.
“All of the planes that were subject to the written order, the judge’s written order, took off before the order was entered in the courtroom on Saturday,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained. “The administration did not run afoul of any court order.”
During a hearing later that day, Boasberg addressed the administration’s claim, reportedly stating to government counsel, “I’m just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to a plane that has departed the U.S., even if it’s in international airspace,” according to The Associated Press.
President Trump reacted to the legal development on Tuesday, calling Boasberg a “Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator” and declared, “HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY.” In his Truth Social post, Trump added, “I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”
Gill emphasized the broader constitutional implications of Boasberg’s order, accusing the judge of deliberately obstructing the executive branch. “Instead of executing on the mandate the voters gave him, [President Trump] and his team are litigating every single action that the president is taking,” Gill said. He labeled the judge’s action “unconstitutional” and a “usurpation of executive authority.”
The standoff now sets the stage for a potential legal showdown that could reach the Supreme Court and challenge the extent of authority held by lower federal judges over executive decisions. Gill’s move also follows similar impeachment threats by Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., aimed at another judge who blocked actions by the Department of Government Efficiency.
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