Boasberg said that while he was "sympathetic," he doesn't believe he has the authority to block more deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.

Deportation flights have been cleared for takeoff as two Trump-appointed judges blocked attempts to pause proceedings over the use of an obscure wartime law. James Boasberg, chief judge of the Washington D.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Friday denied a request to block the Trump administration from deporting suspected Venezuelan gang members. Boasberg made the ruling at a hearing on Friday evening to weigh the ACLU's request for an emergency order blocking the administration from deporting people under the Alien Enemies Act.