In a stunning move that underscores the deepening clash between federal courts and the Trump administration, United States District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher has ordered the White House to facilitate the return of a second deported illegal alien — this time, a Venezuelan national identified only as Cristian.
Judge Gallagher’s ruling on Wednesday centers around a previous settlement agreement she approved last November, intended to protect thousands of migrants awaiting asylum hearings. Gallagher contended that deporting Cristian before his asylum claim could be heard violated the core purpose of that agreement, arguing that the entire legal structure would be gutted if individuals were simply removed before having their day in court.
“The core purpose of the Settlement Agreement would be nullified if Class Members with pending asylum applications could be summarily removed from the United States and thus rendered ineligible for asylum,” Gallagher stated.
The Trump administration, however, maintains it acted fully within the scope of federal law. Officials cited the rarely-invoked 1798 Alien Enemies Act, asserting that Cristian’s status as a citizen of a hostile nation and alleged criminal background rendered him ineligible for asylum protections.
This courtroom confrontation comes amid broader legal warfare. United States District Court Judge James Boasberg recently threatened to hold the administration in contempt over its efforts to expedite the removal of more than 250 suspected gang members — many of them, the White House contends, tied to violent organizations like MS-13 — using the same Alien Enemies Act.
Gallagher’s decision also follows a prior order compelling the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran national and alleged MS-13 member. Yet, even as federal judges attempt to force deported individuals back onto American soil, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has drawn a hard line.
When confronted about Garcia’s situation during a meeting with President Trump at the White House, Bukele made his position crystal clear. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” Bukele asked bluntly, emphasizing that Garcia remains locked within El Salvador’s newly-established Terrorism Confinement Center — and that the country has no intention of releasing him.
“I’m not very fond of releasing terrorists into our country,” Bukele said. “We just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country in the western hemisphere and you want us to go back? That’s not going to happen.”
The escalating tensions illustrate the monumental hurdles the Trump administration faces in its effort to secure the nation’s borders and reform a deeply entangled immigration system. With federal judges countermanding deportations and foreign leaders refusing to undo the hard-won gains in their own countries, the path forward promises to be as turbulent as ever.
