A second U.S. judge scolded the Trump administration on Tuesday night for failing to answer questions in an ongoing deportation case, raising the threat that some Trump officials could be held in contempt of court.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland upbraided Trump officials for failing to comply with the court’s requests for information in a case involving the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia — accusing officials in a blistering eight-page order of submitting «vague, evasive and incomplete» responses that she said demonstrated «willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.»

She further described the Justice Department’s «false premise» objections as «a willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.»

Xinis is not the first federal judge to raise the possibility of holding the Trump administration in contempt for failing to abide by court orders. Just 15 miles away, at a courthouse in Washington, D.C., another judge had already threatened the same.

FEDERAL JUDGE JAMES BOASBERG FINDS PROBABLE CAUSE TO HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT OVER DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

At issue in both cases is President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime immigration law the administration invoked last month to immediately deport certain individuals from the U.S. to El Salvador.

Hours after Trump’s March 14 proclamation that he would use the law to deport certain migrants — including alleged members of the gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, or TdA — the U.S. sent more than 260 migrants to El Salvador to be detained in the country’s maximum-security prison.

The weeks since have been characterized by a wave of frantic court proceedings, appeals, and emergency Supreme Court orders, as judges across the country weigh the administration’s use of the wartime law. 

WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg  stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

But Trump’s lawyers have appeared less than willing to share certain information with the courts. Their behavior has sparked fury from federal judges, who have accused them on more than one occasion of acting in bad faith and willfully defying their orders.

Xinis took umbrage Tuesday night at the administration’s refusal to respond to at least one interrogatory, saying their refusal is «based on the false premise that the United States can or has been ordered to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from custody» in El Salvador.

She also rebuked officials for their failure to comply with her earlier order to return Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man and alleged MS-13 member who was wrongfully deported last month to El Salvador. «For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court’s orders,» she said.

Her earlier ruling was upheld by the Supreme Court in an emergency order. The ruling said the government must «facilitate» his release — a definition that was subsequently clarified again by Xinis and by judges on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

«‘Facilitate’ is an active verb,» U.S. Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, a Reagan appointee, said in authoring the circuit court opinion. 

«It requires that steps be taken as the Supreme Court has made perfectly clear,» he added.

TRUMP ADMIN DEFIES COURT OVER MARYLAND DEPORTATION, IGNITES LEGAL SHOWDOWN

The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

At a hearing last week, Xinis ordered an «intense» and expedited two-week discovery period to determine whether the Trump administration has acted in good faith to comply with her order to return Abrego Garcia. Should they fail to supply the required information, or indicate they acted in bad faith, she could have sufficient information to move to consider possible contempt proceedings.

Additionally, in a related case, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said there was probable cause to find Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for defying his order to return deportation flights to El Salvador on March 15.

In a 48-page ruling, Boasberg accused the government of «willful disregard» for court directives, citing missed deadlines to submit flight details and identify officials who knew about his emergency order halting removals. Although a federal appeals court in D.C. has paused the contempt proceedings, Boasberg has requested further declarations and warned that officials may be required to testify under oath.

If they fail to comply, the judge could refer the case to the Justice Department for prosecution or appoint outside counsel if DOJ declines.

JUDGE BOASBERG POISED TO HOLD TRUMP ADMIN IN CONTEMPT, TAKES DOWN NAMES OF DHS OFFICIALS: ‘PRETTY SKETCHY’

Gang members seen in a cell at the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, in Tecoluca, in San Vicente, El Salvador. Photo via Getty Images. (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The appeals court that paused Boasberg’s contempt proceedings did so temporarily, requesting additional briefing from both the Justice Department and ACLU attorneys representing the plaintiffs.

What happens next remains uncertain. Trump officials have repeatedly railed against so-called «activist judges,» accusing courts of obstructing the administration’s immigration agenda. In an earlier emergency appeal, officials claimed Boasberg’s actions amounted to a «massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens,» arguing those individuals «pose threats to the American people.»

Meanwhile, Judge Xinis’s order in Maryland comes amid a flurry of immigration-related legal battles nationwide, as Trump pushes forward with his border security priorities.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that the administration can continue using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, provided they receive due process protections, including the right to challenge removals in court.

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Separately, federal judges in New York and Texas temporarily blocked use of the Alien Enemies Act in specific cases, siding with plaintiffs who argued certain migrants could be removed without a chance to seek habeas relief.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on next steps in the Abrego Garcia case, or on the possibility that Xinis might move on possible contempt proceedings.

Un oficial de los Carabineros italianos (C) y un soldado con una bazuca antidrones montan guardia en la Plaza de San Pedro, Ciudad del Vaticano. Foto EFE

Ucrania y la guerra comercial

Dos monjas esperan para despedir al Papa Francisco, en la capilla ardiente en la Basílica de San Pedro, en el Vaticano. Foto Reuters

Ausencia del este global

Much remains unknown regarding the progress of Washington’s nuclear talks with Iran, but the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the international community must «trust but verify» that Tehran is engaging in good-faith negotiations. 

The U.S. and Iran are set to hold a third round of discussions on Saturday, which will deal with the technical aspects of Iran’s nuclear program, as well as political negotiations, according to reports. 

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has applauded the U.S.-Iran negotiations mediated by Oman, but said the top nuclear agency has not yet been asked to assist in the negotiations, though he has been in communication with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. 

US CONFIRMS THIRD ROUND OF NUCLEAR TALKS WITH IRAN AFTER ‘VERY GOOD PROGRESS’

«I think there’s a general expectation that this goes well, and that the agreement is verified by the IAEA,» Grossi told reporters from Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. «It’s good the United States and Iran have a direct conversation. Of course, there are parallel processes.

«We have to keep our eyes on the ball. We must avoid Iran or prevent Iran from getting weapons. This is the objective.»

Grossi said that from the perspective of not only the top nuclear agency, but from world leaders he has been in communication with, there is a «degree of expectation» that after the political agreements are hashed out between Washington and Tehran, it will be the IAEA that makes the nuclear terms «credible» and «verifiable.»

«They all are expecting the IAEA to step in at the right time,» he said. «We are at their service to support, to make this thing credible. In a certain sense, they may have a political agreement, but then we have to make it verifiable.» 

IRAN’S LONG TRAIL OF DECEPTION FUELS SKEPTICISM OVER NEW NUCLEAR DEAL AS TALKS CONTINUE

An Iranian newspaper with a cover photo of Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is seen in Tehran, Iran, on April 12.  (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

Fox News Digital obtained a copy of an address Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi — who traveled to China on Wednesday to reportedly discuss progress in the nuclear negotiations — was set to give at the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, though he never delivered the address due to format change requests by Tehran that were denied by the host. 

But in his address, he was set to position Iran as a proponent of nuclear non-proliferation and said Iran’s position had been «mischaracterized.»

Since the U.S.’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran has argued made the deal mute, Iran has significantly advanced its programs by stockpiling near-weapons-grade-enriched uranium to levels that, if further enriched, could produce five nuclear warheads, as well as its centrifuges and missile capabilities. 

When asked by Fox News Digital if Grossi assessed the Islamic Republic’s position to be honest, he said, «Trust, but verify. We need to verify.»

«We are inspectors — that’s the only way we build trust,» he added. 

Grossi said the administration needs to identify what the end goals of this latest deal will be, as the framework of the JCPOA — widely criticized by Trump — is now very dated due to the advancements Iran has made. 

This photo released on Nov. 5, 2019, by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran shows centrifuge machines in the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, File)

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Issues like uranium stockpiles, inventories, centrifuge advances and weaponization capabilities are all on the table in the U.S.-Iran negotiations. 

«We have a much more complex field in front of us,» Grossi warned. «The good thing is we know what we need to look at. We have a unique perspective of that.»