Over the weekend, the Trump administration invoked wartime powers to deport hundreds of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the US to El Salvador. After a lawsuit was filed, a federal judge ordered the administration to stop the deportations, for now.
Here is a timeline of the events (all times Eastern):
March 15 before noon: US District Judge James Boasberg issues a written order temporarily blocking the government from removing five specific individuals who sued the administration over President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act.
March 15 at 5:00 p.m.: Boasberg’s hearing begins, according to a CNN reporter covering the proceedings.
March 15 at 5:22 p.m.: The court hearing adjourns for a break, according to a CNN reporter covering the proceedings
March 15 at 5:26 p.m.: The first flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6143, departs from Harlingen, Texas, according to FlightRadar24 data, a live air traffic tracker.
March 15 at 5:45 p.m.: A second flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6145, departs from Harlingen, Texas, according to FlightRadar24.
March 15 at 6:00 p.m.: The court hearing resumes, according to a CNN reporter covering the proceedings.
March 15 between 6:45 p.m. and 6:48 p.m.: Boasberg verbally tells Justice Department lawyers that they need to turn around any planes carrying anyone being deported under the Alien Enemies Act. The exact timing for this utterance is based on what the defendants who sued the Trump administration put in a court filing.
March 15 at 7:26 p.m.: The judge’s written order is posted to the online federal docket system known as PACER, according to the lawyers who sued the Trump administration. The brief written order did not specifically include language about turning flights around.
March 15 at 7:36 p.m.: The first flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6143, arrives in Comayagua, Honduras, according to FlightRadar24.
March 15 at 7:37 p.m.: The third flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6122, departs from Harlingen, Texas, according to FlightRadar24.
March 15 at 8:08 p.m.: The second flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6145, lands in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, at 8:08 p.m., according to FlightRadar24.
March 15 at 9:52 p.m.: The third flight carrying non-citizens for deportation, GlobalX Flight 6122, arrives in San Salvador, El Salvador according to FlightRadar24.
March 15 at 11:37 p.m.: The second flight carrying non-citizens for deportations continues its journey, departing from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, according to FlightRadar24
March 16 at 12:21 a.m.: The second flight carrying non-citizens for deportations finishes its journey, landing in San Salvador, El Salvador, according to FlightRadar24.
March 16 around 3:46 p.m.: The Justice Department submits a notice to the judge, acknowledging his rulings, but also saying some people were already deported “before the issuance of this Court’s second order,” specifically referring to Boasberg’s written ruling posted to the docket at 7:26 p.m.
