Trump admin updates: White House asks court to stay order to ground deportation flights

The Trump administration has asked the D.C. Circuit Court for a stay of District Judge James Boasberg’s ruling that temporarily blocked the government from deporting Venezuelans using the Alien Enemies Act.

The White House contends that Boasberg lacked jurisdiction to enter the temporary restraining order, which the administration describes in a filing to the appellate court as “unprecedented.”

“This Court should halt this massive, unauthorized imposition on the Executive’s authority to remove people that Defendants had determined to be members of [Tren de Aragua], a group the President and the Secretary of State have found to be a threat to national security. This Court should halt this unprecedented intrusion upon the Executive’s authority to remove dangerous aliens who pose grave threats to the American people,” wrote a DOJ attorney in an emergency motion for a stay.

The government argues that Trump’s actions in invoking the AEA “are not subject to judicial review” and that there was “no lawful basis” for the court to enjoin the implementation of the president’s proclamation.

“If this TRO is allowed to stand,” the DOJ writes, “district courts would have license to enjoin virtually any urgent national-security action upon bare receipt of a complaint.”

The D.C. Circuit ordered a response to the emergency motion to stay be filed by Tuesday at 5 p.m. by the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the underlying case.

-ABC News’ James Hill

The Trump administration has sent hundreds of Venezuelans -- alleged Tren de Aragua gang members -- to El Salvador, raising questions whether the deportations violated a federal judge’s order that temporarily blocked their removal under the administration invoking the Alien Enemies Act.

During a hearing Saturday evening, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., enjoined the removals of any Venezuelans already in U.S. custody and covered by the AEA proclamation, until further briefing over the administration’s use of the act.

Included in Boasberg’s oral ruling was an order that the government turn around any planes carrying people covered by the order that were in the air. During the hearing, the plaintiffs, represented by ACLU and Democracy Forward, told the court that they understood there to be at least two flights in the air heading for Honduras and El Salvador.

On Sunday, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted a video of officials in the country receiving 238 members of Tren de Aragua. “Oopsie, Too late,” Bukele posted on X in response to an article from the New York Post about Boasberg’s order to turn the flights around.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Bukele on X for receiving the migrants.

“We have sent 2 dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador,” Rubio said. “Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars.”

Bukele said the migrants that arrived from the U.S. will be transferred to its Terrorism Confinement Center for “a period of one year.”

-ABC News’ Laura Romero, Katherine Faulders, Ely Brown and Peter Charalambous

As Democrats struggle to navigate the Trump administration with no unifying messaging and some begin to sour on party leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrats appearing on Sunday talk shows said the party needs to change its tactics and message rather than its leaders.

Asked if he would consider replacing Schumer, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said, “I don't think anybody is having that conversation right now.”

“Senator Schumer certainly can lead this caucus. He can lead this caucus. But we need to have a conversation inside the caucus about whether we are willing to stand up to Republicans,” Murphy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“I admit that it would take some risk-tolerant behavior in order to effectively stand up to this president,” Murphy said. “And so, the question really is, for my party writ large, are we willing to do the very difficult things necessary to meet this moment?”

Asked if the problem with his party was the age of its leaders or a lack of vision, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a rising star in the party, said, “I think we need to be very clear about who we're fighting for, and I think we need to be very clear about the vision that we are offering.”

On the continuing resolution that some in the Senate Democratic caucus voted with Republicans on to avert a government shutdown, Moore said told CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “One thing we did not do was offer an alternative. One thing we did not do was articulate the terms for the American people. And so, I think when what, when the American people, when they do not have an option, or they're not seeing people fighting on their behalf, then yes, there is going to be a measurement of frustration.”

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said he’s not engaging in questions about Schumer’s leadership.

"That is not my agenda,” he said on ABC News’ “This Week.” “That is not a helpful narrative right now.”

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he could not guarantee that there would be no recession as Trump’s trade policies go into effect.

“You know that there are no guarantees, like, who would have predicted COVID, right?” he said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “So, I can predict that we are putting in robust policies that will be durable. And could there be an adjustment, because I tell you, this massive government spending that we'd had that if that had kept going, we have to wean our country off of that, and on the other side, we are going to invigorate the private sector.”

“I had a meeting with small bankers last week, and they are ready to start lending, and I can tell you that Main Street is going to do well,” Bessent said.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie