Trump wants to send more prisoners to El Salvador

NPR - President Trump says his administration is exploring ways to detain U.S. citizens involved in criminal activity and send them to prisons in El Salvador. Some legal experts have informed NPR that they fear the White House is preparing to move ahead with that plan even though jailing Americans overseas is considered unconstitutional.

The White House says Trump has brought up locking up Americans abroad in public and in private meetings, NPR’s Brian Mann tells Up First. As far back as February, Trump said he would “do it in a heartbeat” if a legal way was found. On Monday, with the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, Trump said “home growns are next,” referring to U.S. citizens, and suggested El Salvador build more prisons to house Americans. Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have said the plan would only include violent criminals. David Bier at the libertarian CATO Institute raised a concern that Trump could move forward with the action without providing a lot of clarity, even if courts and judges object.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled yesterday that the Trump administration “demonstrated willful disregard” for a court order and is likely in criminal contempt. Boasberg stated that the government failed to comply with his orders last month to turn around two planes carrying Venezuelan migrants to a prison in El Salvador. On March 15, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to quickly deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua without hearings. The same day, dozens of men were loaded onto two planes, and the ACLU, after being made aware, sued. That evening, during an emergency hearing, is when Boasberg made his orders for the planes to be returned.

Boasberg gave the government two options for next steps, NPR’s Adrian Florido says. It can reassert custody of the men it deported so they can challenge their deportations, or if not, the judge wants the names of the specific government officials who ignored his order. Boasberg said he’ll force them to testify, and if he has to, he’ll appoint a lawyer to criminally prosecute them for contempt. The Justice Department called the ruling a “judicial power grab” and has appealed.