Trump administration set for legal fights after carrying out deportations despite court orders – US politics live

Trump administration set for legal fights after carrying out deportations despite court orders – US politics live


White House set for legal showdowns over Trump’s controversial deportation orders

The Trump administration is facing a number of legal battles after controversial deportations led to court orders and accusations of defying the judiciary.

In Massachusetts this morning, judge Leo Sorokin will demand answers regarding the deportation of Dr Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old Rhode Island-based kidney specialist.

Alawieh, who was reportedly holding a valid US visa, was sent back to Lebanon on Friday, despite a court order requiring 48 hours’ notice before any deportation. Her legal team claims Customs and Border Protection wilfully ignored the judge’s directive, Politico reported.

Judge Sorokin, who issued the temporary order on Thursday, has asked for an explanation in today’s hearing, calling the allegations of contempt “serious”. Alawieh’s attorneys have provided a detailed timeline supporting their claims, which could lead to further legal repercussions.

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, a federal judge has accused the White House of disregarding his order to halt the deportation of two planeloads of Venezuelans to an El Salvador prison.

The deportations are part of Trump’s wider crackdown on foreign nationals, which included invoking the rarely used Alien Enemies Act, a move last implemented as part of wartime measures.

Despite the court order, the White House insisted that the flights had already left US airspace by the time it was issued, a position that legal experts are querying. Both cases now appear headed for the supreme court.

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Donald Trump may be all in on tariffs, but the Guardian’s Lauren Aratani reports that many Americans are not, including a sizable number of Republicans:

Americans are increasingly concerned about Donald Trump’s bid to overhaul the US economy with sweeping tariffs on foreign goods, according to an exclusive poll for the Guardian, despite the US president’s efforts to downplay the risks of his strategy.

“Have no fear, we will WIN everything!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, claiming that tariffs were already “pouring money” into the country.

But fears are growing. When given a list of issues including inflation, healthcare and immigration, 72% of Americans said they are concerned about tariffs.

The survey was conducted by the Harris Poll in early March. When it conducted the same survey in mid-January, 61% of those polled said tariffs were a concern.

A lot has changed since then. Since returning to the White House, Trump has pushed for tariffs against many of the US’s key trading partners. He tacked on an extra 20% tariff on Chinese imports and hiked tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.

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