Attorney General Pam Bondi supported the Trump administration’s position that certain details regarding the deportation flights of Tren de Aragua members should be classified as state secrets on Monday.
In a court filing submitted late Monday, Bondi referred to statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Both officials argued that specific information about the deportation flights, including the logistics and timing of the transfers, falls under state secrets and should not be disclosed to the court.
“The Secretary of State and Secretary of Homeland Security have each filed declarations formally asserting a claim of state secrets privilege regarding the requested information as outlined in the March 18, 2025 Minute Order,” Bondi wrote in her filing.
“These declarations reflect a thorough and well-supported conclusion from both Secretaries that revealing such information, even in a private and confidential manner, would pose significant risks to U.S. foreign relations and national security,” she continued. Bondi submitted the filing to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which is reviewing the Trump administration’s urgent appeal following a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The Alien Enemies Act, passed by Congress in 1798, has been invoked only a few times in U.S. history, most notably during World War II. The administration requested a stay pending the appeal after a March 15 ruling, calling it an unlawful infringement on the Executive’s power to remove dangerous individuals posing a threat to the nation.
Last week, Judge James Boasberg, appointed during the Obama administration and based in Washington, D.C., issued an order halting any planned deportations of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador. However, a plane carrying hundreds of deported migrants, including Venezuelan nationals, arrived in El Salvador hours later, despite the order.
Judge Boasberg held a fact-finding hearing on March 17, where he instructed the Trump administration to provide further details on the deportation flights. Specifically, the court sought information on the logistics of the planes, including how many individuals were deported solely under the proclamation, the number of people on each flight, the destinations, and the departure times and locations.
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