A US federal appeals court has halted contempt proceedings against the Trump administration stemming from its deportation of 137 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador in March 2025. In a two-to-one ruling, the Washington, DC panel found that District Judge James Boasberg had committed a "clear abuse of discretion" in pursuing criminal contempt charges against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials, ruling that Boasberg's original order had not explicitly barred the transfer of migrants into Salvadoran custody. The case, which centred on the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport migrants the administration accused of links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, has been a major flashpoint in ongoing legal battles over the limits of executive power in immigration enforcement.