After Judge James Boasberg, appointed by former President Obama, issued a ruling on Saturday that temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s fast-track deportation of Venezuelan gang members, Texas GOP Rep. Brandon Gill quickly announced his intention to introduce articles of impeachment aimed at removing the judge.
Gill shared his plans on social media, stating that he would file the motion later this week. In a response to Gill’s post, entrepreneur and Trump advisor Elon Musk simply called the move “Necessary.” Musk later added in a separate post, “The very worst judges – those who repeatedly disregard the law – should at least face an impeachment vote, regardless of the outcome.”
Republicans have been critical of Boasberg following his decision to issue a 14-day restraining order preventing the Trump administration from deporting violent Venezuelan gang members who illegally entered the U.S., based on powers granted by the Alien Enemies Act. This law, first passed by Congress in 1798 in anticipation of a potential conflict with France, was last used during World War II. It grants the president broad authority to imprison or deport noncitizens during times of war.
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to social media, expressing frustration with Boasberg’s ruling. “Another day, another judge unilaterally deciding policy for the entire country, this time in favor of foreign gang members,” Grassley wrote. “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t act, we’re heading toward a constitutional crisis. The Senate Judiciary Committee is stepping in.”
Boasberg’s decision followed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the left-wing group Democracy Forward, which argued that Trump’s use of “wartime authority” to deport dangerous immigrants was unlawful, as the U.S. is not officially in a state of war. This lawsuit came after Trump signed a proclamation alleging that violent gang members from the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang were engaging in actions akin to irregular warfare against the U.S. Last month, Trump moved to designate several Mexican drug cartels, including TdA, as “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” (FTOs).
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