Three planes took off into the night on Saturday, carrying 261 Venezuelans to El Salvador, while a federal judge's order to halt the deportations, issued just hours earlier, lingered in the air like an unanswered question.
A federal judge has now ordered the Trump administration to provide detailed explanations by Tuesday regarding the deportation of these 261 Venezuelans to El Salvador, despite a court order temporarily blocking such actions.
The flights, which departed after Judge James Boasberg's ruling, have raised questions about the administration's adherence to judicial authority and its use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify the expulsions.
The White House claims the deportees are linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, designated a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, but critics argue the administration has yet to provide substantial evidence of their threat to United States security.