Despite pushback from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the White House is standing by President Donald Trump’s demand to impeach federal judge James Boasberg, who attempted to block recent deportation flights of foreign prison gang members.
Boasberg ruled Saturday that deportation flights carrying 261 illegal alien gang members to an El Salvadoran prison must return to the U.S. However, since the planes had already entered international airspace before the written order was issued, the Trump administration did not comply.
Following the ruling, Trump took to social media to call for Boasberg’s impeachment, prompting a rare rebuke from Chief Justice Roberts, who called Trump’s response “not appropriate.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that while Trump has “great respect” for Roberts, he stands by his call for Boasberg’s removal.
Boasberg’s “egregious abuse of the bench” and “ridiculous lawfare,” Leavitt stated, should spur the Supreme Court to “rein in these judges who are acting as partisan activists. They are undermining the judicial branch, and it’s a dereliction of duty.”
Leavitt also accused judges opposing Trump’s immigration enforcement, such as Boasberg, of attempting to “slow-roll the president’s agenda” and override executive authority.
Trump, who carried out the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, insists he has complied with all lawful court orders and is prepared to challenge any ruling in the Supreme Court if necessary. Meanwhile, he “absolutely” intends to continue mass deportations, Leavitt confirmed.
The administration argues that aggressive enforcement is necessary to address the border crisis. Last month, illegal border crossings dropped to the lowest level in U.S. history for February, with Border Patrol encountering 28,654 migrants—a roughly 90% decrease from 2024.
