Trump sets up judicial branch clash over deportations – National & International News – MON 17Mar2025
Trump sets up judicial branch clash over deportations.
At least 42 dead (6 in MS) after tornadoes sweep 9 states.
**BREAKING** Israel resumes air strikes on Gaza, despite ceasefire
US strikes in Yemen kill 53, including 5 children.
NATIONAL NEWS
Trump sets up judicial branch clash over deportations
On Saturday, President Trump invoked the rarely used 1798 law known as the Alien Enemies Act, which was last used to confine over 100,000 Japanese-Americans in concentration camps during World War II. Trump invoked the order to pave the way for the deportation of over 200 Venezuelan detainees, purportedly affiliated with the gang Tren del Aragua.
About an hour after Trump invoked the order, District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order in response to a lawsuit on behalf of Venezuelans in US custody who feared they may be expelled under false accusations of being members of Tren del Aragua. By this time, planes carrying the deportees to El Salvador had already departed the US, despite the government knowing that Boasberg was conducting a hearing on the legality of these deportations.
Boasberg initially verbally ordered that the planes be turned around before issuing a written order about 45 minutes later. The Trump administration did not comply with his verbal order, and the planes continued to El Salvador.
Administration “defies” court order
To Boasberg’s astonishment, US attorneys argued on Monday that his first verbal order did not count, only his subsequent written order (which called for a pause on deportations under the alien enemies Act, but did not specifically order the planes to turn around). The DOJ also asserted that Boasberg’s order did not apply to planes that were already in international airspace. Not only that, but the US attorney contended that they could not answer Boasberg’s questions about the deportations due to national security issues.
After reports circulated today that the Trump administration had “defied” a direct order from a federal judge, White House press Secretary Karoline Leavitt refuted this. Leavitt said “the administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order” but also claimed the administration did not believe the order was “lawful”. Later, the justice department sought to remove Boasberg from the case.
Kidney and transplant doctor deported for attending Hezbollah funeral
In an earlier instance of the Trump administration “not refusing to comply with a court order”, a Lebanese doctor specializing in kidneys and transplants, was deported after she allegedly attended the funeral of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Nearly 1 million people, including Lebanese and foreign dignitaries, international journalists, online influencers and others attended the event last month.
Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a professor at Brown University in the US on a valid H-1B visa, was detained at Boston Logan International Airport on Thursday for 36 hours before being deported to Lebanon.
Before her deportation, a US District Court in Massachusetts had ordered that she not be removed from the state without 48 hours’ notice to “give the court time to consider the matter”. Despite this order being in place, Customs and Border protection denied that it had “willfully” disobeyed this court order. Rather, they claim that CBP officials had not received notice of the order until the flight carrying Alawieh had already departed.
“Constitutional crisis”
By the most generous interpretation, it appears that the Trump administration is developing a pattern of rapidly ordering and carrying out deportations before judges can halt them and weigh in on their legality.
Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the ACLU representing the Venezuelan plaintiffs in Boasberg’s court, had a more dire interpretation. Gelernt told the court on Monday, “There’s been a lot of talk about constitutional crisis, people throw that word around. I think we’re getting very close to it”.
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At least 42 dead (6 in MS) after tornadoes sweep 9 states
From Friday to Sunday, there were more than 970 severe storm reports in over two dozen states. The storms wrought immense damage and killed at least 42 people in 8 states (12 in Missouri, 8 in Kansas, 6 in Mississippi, 4 in Texas, 4 in Oklahoma, 3 in Arkansas, 3 in Alabama, 2 in North Carolina). At least nine states were affected by a 3-day tornado outbreak.
In Mississippi, 23 counties reported damage according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). Three of the fatalities were in Walthall County, two in Jefferson Davis County, and one in Covington County. Three people had also been reported missing but have now been accounted for.
One tornado apparently tracked through 70 miles in Walthall County. Attesting to its power was a wide swath of pine trees that were snapped, “almost like a big giant brought in the hedgers and just cut it off and laid them down,” according to MEMA Director Stephen McRaney.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Israel resumes air strikes on Gaza, despite ceasefire
Israel has carried out at least 35 air strikes in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 30 people according to medics in the Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says this is in response to Hamas’ refusal to release the remaining hostages. The first phase of the ceasefire ended on March 1, and Israel has repeatedly refused to negotiate entry into the second phase, which calls for a full Israeli military withdrawal from the Strip in exchange for further hostage releases.
Since the ceasefire began in late January, Israel has violated it hundreds of times with sporadic strikes, but the bombings that took place moments ago are the most significant and deadly since the ceasefire began. A Hamas spokesperson said that with these strikes, Israel has “unilaterally” ended the ceasefire.
Israel has also completely blocked all humanitarian aid from entering the Strip as of March 1, including food, water, and electricity. Human rights groups have denounced this blockade as a potential crime against humanity.
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US strikes in Yemen kill 53, including 5 children
Last week, the Yemeni rebel group Ansarallah (also known as the Houthis) resumed its naval blockade of Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea. This was in response to Israel’s complete blockade of all aid to Gaza, which has been in place since March 1. As of today, officials in Gaza are warning that the “initial stages of famine” are reemerging in the Gaza Strip after the full blockade of food, water, and electricity.
As was the case during Israel’s 15-month long military onslaught against Gaza, Ansarallah are targeting ships destined for Israel or ships tied to countries which have materially supported Israel’s war in Gaza. They had ceased the blockade since the Gaza ceasefire came into effect in late January. However, many shipping companies had continued to avoid the Red Sea, fearing that hostilities in Gaza (and consequently in Yemen) could flare up again on short notice.
During the Biden Administration, there were numerous attempts to discourage or disarm Ansarallah through airstrikes. These proved largely ineffective. Now, the Trump administration has redesignated Ansarallah as an international terrorist organization and has resumed carrying out strikes on their territory in Yemen. However, these bombings have been much more targeted and deadly than those carried out under Biden.
On Saturday, the US carried out strikes on Al Jaouf and the port city of Hudaydah, killing at least 53 people, including five children and two women. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz claimed that several high ranking Ansarallah operatives were killed in these strikes, but these have not been confirmed by Ansarallah.
As was the case during the strikes by the Biden administration, the population in Yemen seems undeterred by the US strikes. Today, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in a show of support both for Ansarallah and the people of Gaza.
Yemen, one of the poorest countries on earth, endured over a decade of bombardment and deadly aid blockades by Saudi Arabia, which were supported by the US. The people of Yemen therefore have a strong sense of solidarity with the Palestinians, particularly those in Gaza.
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