Judge Orders Key Testimonies in Kristi Noem Criminal Inquiry

Source: Newsweek

A federal judge has ordered two Justice Department officials to testify in a case examining whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should face criminal charges for allegedly violating a March 2025 order halting the removal of Venezuelan migrants.

The Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to proceed with deportation flights despite that directive, prompting scrutiny of former DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, who alleges officials discussed ignoring court orders, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign, who reportedly conveyed the judge’s instructions.

The decision marks the latest development in a long-running legal clash over the government’s use of a rarely deployed wartime statute and the subsequent handling of migrant flights to El Salvador.

Why It Matters
At the center of the escalating court fight is a fundamental test of presidential power and judicial authority: whether the Trump administration can invoke a centuries-old wartime statute to summarily deport Venezuelan migrants—and whether Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defied a federal judge’s order to stop those removals

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-criminal-inquiry-judge-orders-key-testimonies-11178487