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Boasberg orders Trump to bring back CECOT migrant class deported in March
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A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to provide due process to a class of Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador in March, and gave it two weeks to detail how it will do so – setting up another high-stakes clash between the White House and the federal courts.
In March, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt its plans to immediately use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act wartime immigration law to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to CECOT, a Salvadoran maximum-security prison. That did not happen, and the planes landed in El Salvador hours later.
Boasberg concluded that the Trump administration’s actions were illegal, conducted in defiance of the court, and deprived the migrants in the CECOT class of their due process protections – including prior notice of removal, a «meaningful opportunity» to contest their removal from the U.S., and the ability to dispute their designation as a member of the Tren de Aragua gang.
He ordered the Trump administration to submit to the court by Jan. 5 its plan to provide due process protections to the CECOT class – which he said the administration could do by either returning the migrants to the U.S. to have their cases heard in person, or to otherwise facilitate hearings abroad with members of the class that «satisfy the requirements of due process.»
«On the merits, the Court concludes that this class was denied their due-process rights and will thus require the Government to facilitate their ability to obtain such hearing,» Boasberg said Monday. «Our law requires no less.»
APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN’S DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN ALIEN ENEMIES ACT IMMIGRATION SUIT
Judge James E. Boasberg stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images))
The Justice Department is almost certain to appeal the order.
Monday’s ruling adds new clarity to a complex immigration case that began 10 months prior, and which sparked a flurry of appeals, contempt inquiries and open questions as to the status of the CECOT plaintiffs and the ability the U.S. has to order their return.
Boasberg said Monday that the U.S. appeared to be operating with the knowledge that it had some level of constructive custody over the migrants detained at CECOT, citing the terms of an agreement made between the U.S. and El Salvador to house the migrants for at least a one-year period.
He also cited multiple public remarks from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior DHS officials, which appear to cast CECOT as an «extension» of U.S. detention facilities.
«These statements strongly undermine the Government’s contention that El Salvador retains complete discretion over what to do with individuals» removed from the U.S., he noted.
JUDGES V TRUMP: HERE ARE THE KEY COURT BATTLES HALTING THE WHITE HOUSE AGENDA
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recognized as President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Rose Garden at the White House. (AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
If «secretly spiriting individuals to another country were enough to neuter the Great Writ, then the Government could ‘snatch anyone off the street, turn him over to a foreign country, and then effectively foreclose any corrective course of action,’» Boasberg concluded.
The update comes after the court’s inquiry had been stalled for months, both by appeals court rulings, efforts to shield certain information from the court for national security purposes, and a separate, but related, contempt inquiry.
The CECOT migrants were again moved in July from the Salvadoran prison to Venezuela as part of a broader prisoner exchange that involved the return of at least 10 Americans detained in Venezuela. That step further complicated efforts to ascertain the status of the migrants, some of whom had fled Venezuela and were in hiding.
That made it difficult to contact the migrants from the CECOT class and determine how many of them still wished to proceed with their due process cases, as ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told Boasberg in court last month.
The ACLU said this month that, of the 252 Venezuelan migrants deported to CECOT in March, 137 of them still wished to move forward with the due process cases.
US JUDGE VOWS TO RULE ‘SOON’ ON ABREGO GARCIA’S FATE AFTER MARATHON HEARING
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) on March 26, 2025. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
Still, the new ruling is almost certain to face fierce opposition from Trump officials, who have assailed Boasberg and other judges who have blocked or paused the president’s flurry of executive orders as «rogue, activist» judges, whom they argue are overstepping their authority.
They argue that lower court judges should not have the power to prevent the president from executing what administration officials say is a lawful agenda – though the judges in question have disagreed that the president’s actions all follow the law.
Boasberg, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court, has appeared unfazed by the new level of scrutiny.
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He told the Justice Department in November that he «certainly intends to determine what happened» on the day the government either intentionally or unintentionally violated his emergency order intended to halt the Alien Enemies Act removals.
The government, he said, «can assist me to whatever degree it wishes.»
federal courts,politics,donald trump,immigration,judiciary,national security,supreme court
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Minnesota Dem Senate candidate faces call from opponent to apologize over viral ‘pandering’ hijab video
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Minnesota Republican senatorial candidate David Hann is calling on one of his potential Democratic opponents to apologize after a video of her wearing a hijab and supporting the Somali community amidst a massive fraud scandal went viral on social media.
«It’s emblematic of the way she and other Democrat politicians in Minnesota have behaved over the past decade or so. They’re very political,» said former Minnesota state Sen. David Hann, who is running for Senate in the Republican primary, of Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan’s video wearing a hijab and defending the Somali community amid a massive fraud scandal that has rocked Minnesota over the past several years.
«They just are pandering to political constituencies, and they’re not doing the job that they were elected to do.»
In the video, which was widely criticized by conservatives on social media last week, Flanagan can be seen donning a hijab while talking to Somali constituents.
MINNESOTA GOP LAWMAKERS CITE CONSTITUTION IN CALL FOR WALZ TO RESIGN OVER FRAUD CRISIS
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is facing backlash over a viral video defending Somalis amid a massive fraud scandal. (Getty)
«Salam alaikum,» Flanagan says in the video giving an Arabic greeting before saying, «The Somali community is part of the fabric of the state of Minnesota.»
«I am here shopping today and just encouraging other folks to show up, support our Somali businesses, support our immigrant neighbors, and I know that things are scary right now,» Flanagan added in the video that was aired on Somali TV.
«Being part of Minnesota and growing up here, the Somali community has always been a part of my Minnesota,» Flanagan added, while telling residents to «show up and support our Somali businesses and our immigrant neighbors.»
«We’ve got your back,» Flanagan said.
Flanagan, who has not spoken out in response to the viral investigation from journalist Nick Shirley highlighting the alleged fraud problem in Minnesota, faced criticism over the video from those who accused her of downplaying the scandal.
MEDIA ‘COMPLICITY’ BLAMED AS FEDS SAY MINNESOTA FRAUD CRISIS COULD REACH $9B: ‘SHOWN THEIR TRUE COLORS’
«This is what political performance looks like — symbolism over accountability — while billions in taxpayer dollars vanish,» Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham posted on X. «Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wears hijab in solidarity with Somalis as feds probe multibillion-dollar fraud scandal.»
Hann told Fox News Digital that Flanagan should apologize for and retract the video.
«They did not do their duty out of concern that they would offend a political constituency,» Hann said. «So they haven’t done anything to take responsibility for what the public expects them to do. So yes, she should apologize.»
«She certainly should not be sent to Washington to oversee federal dollars being spent. But it’s emblematic of the way Democrats have governed in this state. They like to posture, they like to tell people how compassionate they are. They tell us our high taxes are helping people, but they really haven’t demonstrated a concern for helping people. They’re more interested in just spending.»
Fox News Digital has extensively reported in recent weeks on the Minnesota fraud scandal, including concerns that the fear of being called «racist» helped provide cover for the fraud, which primarily occurred within the state’s Somali community.
LAWMAKERS PROBE SBA LOANS LINKED TO MINNESOTA’S $9B FRAUD SCANDAL: ‘RECKLESS DECISION MAKING’
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks as Gov. Tim Walz, right, listens. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
«The Somali voting block is significant in the Minneapolis area, of course, and they’re concerned about that,» Hann told Fox News Digital. «And yes, I’ve seen those reports as well, that there were concerns about how this would appear. Most of the fraud was conducted by Somalis who put up these shell companies and looted the public treasury and I think the Democrats were concerned that if they went after that, they would appear to be picking on the Somali community when, in fact, they needed to enforce the law.»
«I think every community wants to see the laws enforced and people in Minnesota want to see laws enforced. And this is why this is so terrible. They are just failing to do the duty that they were elected to do.»
The lieutenant governor, who has been in office since 2019, is challenging two other Democratic candidates in the Senate primary race to fill the seat of outgoing Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Former Democratic presidential candidate and current Sen. Amy Klobuchar serves as the other senator from the state.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Flanagan spokesperson Alexandra Fetissoff said the focus should be on the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Minnesota.
«While the Lt. Governor was showing her support for small businesses and communities being terrorized by ICE, she was handed a scarf by a friend and briefly wore it out of respect,» Fetissoff said. «The real outrage should not be a scarf, but masked men throwing American citizens into vans and violating the constitution.»
Flanagan’s team also clarified that while many on social media have claimed she said Somalis «built» Minnesota, «she does not say that in the video.»
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Senate candidate David Hann speaks to Fox News Digital in a 2024 interview when he was chair of the Minnesota GOP. (Fox News Digital)
Last week, Fox News Digital first reported on legislation introduced by GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks named after Tim Walz that is aimed at addressing future fraud like what has occurred in Minnesota and could total as much as $9 billion, according to federal prosecutors.
If elected to the Senate, Hann told Fox News Digital he would push for more «safeguards.»
«But I think we should also be looking at, how can we reform the whole welfare establishment?» Hann explained.
«Are there better ways to help people? We should be more concerned about trying to make sure people’s lives are improved, rather than just spending money. It seems to me that the Waltz administration has been focused on just handing out money, Democrats in Washington just hand out the money and no accountability and no attempt to figure out the effectiveness of the programs that we have, we need to take a hard look at that.»
Fox News Digital’s Preston Mizell contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
Eurostar forced to cancel all services to and from London after ‘major disruption’ in Channel Tunnel
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The international high-speed passenger rail service that connects the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands was forced to cancel all services to and from London after experiencing a «major disruption.»
«Eurostar services to and from London are suspended until further notice due to overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel, followed by a failed LeShuttle train,» Eurostar said in a statement emailed to Fox News Digital.
«We advise our customers to rebook their journey for another day, with free exchanges available,» the statement added. «We apologize for the disruption and will continue to keep customers updated with the latest information.»
YOUR HOLIDAY TRAVEL PLANS COULD BE RUINED IF YOU WEAR ONE PARTICULAR ITEM TO THE AIRPORT
Travelers queue for Eurostar services at St. Pancras International station in London, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (Alberto Pezzali/AP Photo)
Eurotunnel said that «LeShuttle service resumed very gradually» just before 3:00 p.m. CET. The company noted that service was «operating alternatively in both directions with significant delays.» Shuttles will be added Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
Eurostar told Fox News Digital that its services to and from London would resume at approximately 6:00 p.m. GMT. The company is urging travelers to rebook their trips, as the power issues are still impacting service.
«As the overhead power supply issues in the Channel Tunnel still remain, only one line is available to run trains on. This means there will continue to be delays and longer journey times than usual this evening,» Eurostar said in a statement.
Customers whose trains have been canceled are advised not to come to the station, as those trains are not slated to be reinstated.
Eurostar told Fox News Digital that passengers whose travel has been canceled can, within three months of their original travel date, choose from a variety of compensation options. This includes a free exchange for a ticket on another day or an e-voucher for the unused ticket that will be valid for 12 months. Additionally, they may request refunds for their unused tickets.
Passengers who were left stranded by the disruption are eligible to have Eurostar cover a variety of expenses, including hotel accommodations up to approximately $199 per room, per night, taxi costs of up to around $70 per journey and food and drink expenses up to approximately $47 per person, per day.
Passengers wait after a Eurostar spokesperson said they were suspending its cross-Channel train services to and from London until further notice following a power supply problem in the Channel Tunnel that links Britain and France, at St. Pancras International station in London, Britain, Dec. 30, 2025. (Maja Smiejkowska/Reuters)
MILLIONS AFFECTED AS MAJOR AIRLINE ENDS ADVANTAGE MILES PROGRAM ON BASIC ECONOMY TICKETS
Earlier on Tuesday, Eurostar issued a warning to travelers to postpone their journeys due to a power supply issue. The company said passengers could see severe delays and last-minute cancellations as a result. Customers were instructed not to go to the station unless they already had a ticket, according to the BBC.
The U.K.’s National Rail issued a similar statement urging passengers to postpone their travel amid delays and cancellations between London St. Pancras International and Paris Nord, the BBC reported.
«An incident related to the power supply to trains occurred last night in part of the Channel Tunnel, affecting train and shuttle traffic. A technical intervention is required, which is currently underway,» Eurotunnel said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. «The service is temporarily suspended in both directions.»
Eurostar told Fox News Digital that no passengers were stranded in the tunnel and that the broken shuttle, known as LeShuttle, had been removed.
LeShuttle, which is separate from Eurostar’s passenger-only rail service, runs between Folkestone, U.K., and Calais, France, bringing passengers and their vehicles through the Channel Tunnel in just 35 minutes.
People gather near a Eurostar train at Gare du Nord station, after Eurostar announced a power supply problem in the Channel Tunnel that links Britain and France, in Paris, France, Dec. 30, 2025. (Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters)
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London North Eastern Railway (LNER) told Fox News Digital that customers with tickets for Dec. 30 whose travel was affected by the Eurostar disruption could travel to their home station on an alternative LNER train for no additional fee.
«Any LNER customers who have had to abandon their journey in London King’s Cross are able to return to their home station on the next available LNER service at no additional cost,» LNER told Fox News Digital. «LNER customers who choose to defer their Eurostar travel to a different day may use their existing LNER ticket to travel on that same day.»
In response to a request for comment, National Rail referred Fox News Digital to Eurostar’s media center.
LeShuttle did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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