Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Sunday that she ordered the federal government to continue deporting Venezuelan detainees to El Salvador despite a court order temporarily halting the flights.
Noem told NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” “The decisions that are made on deportations, where flights go, and when they go are my decision at the Department of Homeland Security. And we will continue to do the right thing and ensure that dangerous criminals are removed.”
Court filings last week from the Justice Department indicate Noem directed officials to proceed with transfers to a Salvadoran prison while a legal review considered whether the Trump administration had defied a judge’s order to return more than 100 Venezuelan detainees to the U.S.
Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) authorizing the deportation of Venezuelans, a move intended to accelerate one of the largest deportation efforts in U.S. history. The administration has argued it was not required to comply with the March directive from District Judge James Boasberg.
According to the DOJ, Noem “directed that the AEA detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador,” describing the decision as lawful and consistent with a reasonable interpretation of the court order.
Noem reaffirmed her stance Sunday, saying she is “proud of President Trump, and his leadership, and the decisions that we have made.” The deported migrants were later released from the Salvadoran prison and returned to Venezuela as part of a large prisoner swap.
Boasberg had previously found probable cause to initiate contempt proceedings over the deportations. That process was paused for several months until an appeals court recently cleared the way to proceed. The underlying case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union challenging the AEA, remains under review.