On Thursday, February 12, 2026, Newsmax reported that a judge ruled the Trump administration must facilitate the return of a group of Venezuelan migrants who were previously deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador last year, provided they wish to return.
Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia issued the ruling in favor of 137 Venezuelans. These individuals were initially deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison after the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act, alleging their affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang.
Boasberg emphasized that the situation would not have escalated had the government initially respected the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights before their deportation. For those migrants not returned to Venezuela, the judge stipulated that the government must cover the costs of flying them back to the U.S. or accept them at a U.S. port of entry.
According to the ruling, any migrants who choose to return to the U.S. will be immediately detained as part of their ongoing immigration case. Boasberg acknowledged that he believes only a small number of the migrants will likely want to return to the United States.
The government is required to submit a report next month detailing the feasibility of returning the remaining plaintiffs who are still in Venezuela to the United States. In December, Boasberg had ruled that Venezuelans deported to El Salvador under accusations of gang membership must be allowed to return to the U.S. to contest their cases.
Many of those deported had been seeking asylum in the United States, citing fears for their safety in Venezuela due to their opposition to leader Nicolas Maduro. Boasberg’s rulings have often faced criticism from the Trump administration.
Last month, a federal appeals court judge dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint filed by the Justice Department against Boasberg. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly announced the complaint in July, alleging that Boasberg made inappropriate comments about President Donald Trump during a meeting of the judiciary’s policymaking body, the Judicial Conference.
Bondi’s complaint followed Boasberg’s statement that he might initiate disciplinary proceedings against Justice Department lawyers for their conduct in a lawsuit brought by Venezuelans challenging their removal to a Salvadoran prison.
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, had previously introduced impeachment articles against Boasberg after he ordered flights deporting over 250 illegal immigrants believed to be members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, then subsequently directed that the flights be stopped and the migrants returned to the U.S.
Source: Newsmax
