ICE Barbie Brazenly Boasts About Defying Judge's Orders

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Dec. 6 2025 11:35AM EST
Published Dec. 6 2025 9:37AM EST


DHS Secretary Kristi Noem openly admitted to defying a judge’s order and dared the court to do something about it in a stunning court filing. The case, which has dragged on through 2025, concerns a March incident in which D.C. Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered that two planes bound for El Salvador carrying mostly Venezuelan migrants remain in the United States.

The order was ignored, and the detainees were handed over to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, a facility notorious for human rights abuses. The men were ultimately transferred to Venezuela in a prison swap months later. Pursuing answers as to why his order was not followed, Boasberg ordered that those involved provide written testimony detailing their role in the decision. Noem, 54, boasted in the court filing Friday evening that she was the one who chose to ignore his ruling.

A filing accompanying her declaration taunts Boasberg, saying, “Accordingly, if the Court continues to believe its order was sufficiently clear in imposing an obligation to halt the transfer of custody for detainees who had already been removed from the United States, the Court should proceed promptly with a referral.”

The Justice Department admitted that Noem made the decision last week. DOJ attorney Tiberius Davis wrote, “After receiving that legal advice, Secretary Noem directed that the AEA [Alien Enemies Act] detainees who had been removed from the United States before the Court’s order could be transferred to the custody of El Salvador.”

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-barbie-brazenly-boasts-about-defying-judges-orders/