US Attorney General Pamela Bondi has defended the President Donald Trump administration’s handling of the deportations of alleged gang members to El Salvador.
Bondi insisted that the government did not defy a court order when it refused to turn two deportation flights around last month.
“I don’t think anyone defied an order by a judge,” Bondi told CNN during a news conference on Friday.
“That’s pending in court right now. I think our attorneys have argued in court.
“I think there were arguments yesterday. We are awaiting a ruling. I anticipate this will go to the Supreme Court, be ruled in our favor. I don’t believe anyone defied a court order.”
She added, “Testimony came out in court that those planes not only had taken off but were outside of American airspace. Moreover, they were illegal aliens from El Salvador.
“They were some of the worst of the worst to qualify under the Alien Enemies Act, and we should be concerned about the victims of these crimes here in our states more than these defendants.”
This is coming a day after a contentious hearing in which US district judge Boasberg said that he is looking at whether “probable cause” exists to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for violating his orders halting the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.
Meanwhile, President Trump had earlier this week thanked Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for accepting criminals deported from the United States.
Trump also criticized the administration of former President Joe Biden for allowing criminals into the United States in the first place.
