| J.G.G. v. Trump | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | United States District Court for the District of Columbia |
| Full case name | J.G.G. et al. v. Donald J. Trump |
| Docket nos. | 25-cv-00766-JEB |
| Defendant | Donald J. Trump |
| Plaintiffs | J.G.G., et al. |
| Court membership | |
| Judge sitting | James Boasberg |
J.G.G. v. Donald J. Trump is the name of a class action and Habeas corpus lawsuit by 5 Venezuelan men that were in immigration custody threatened with imminent removal under the expected Proclamation of U.S. President Donald J. Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act. [1]
On March 16, 2025, deportation flights carrying over 260 migrants from Venezuela, alleged to be gang members, arrived in El Salvador where the migrants were taken into custody. Neither the US nor Salvadoran governments offered any immediate evidence that those deported had been charged with crimes or had connections to any gangs. [2] While the deportation flights were en route, US District Judge James Boasberg issued an order certifying Venezuelan migrants in the US as members of a class and enjoining their removal from the US. [3] Though Boasberg specifically ordered that any planes in the air carrying those covered by his order be turned back and those individuals returned to the US, the Trump administration allowed the flights to proceed, possibly violating the court order. [4]
Axios reported one Trump administration official acknowledging that the Trump administration had carried out the deportations "after a discussion about how far the judge's ruling can go under the circumstances and over international waters and, on advice of counsel", while a second Trump administration official commented: "They were already outside of US airspace. We believe the order [by the judge] is not applicable". [5] Later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Boasberg's order "had no lawful basis" and was given after the accused "had already been removed from U.S. territory", while further stating: "A single judge in a single city cannot direct the movements of an aircraft carrier". [5]