Trump calls for impeachment of judge overseeing Venezuelan migrant deportation case

Donald Trump has called for the impeachment of the federal judge who ordered his administration to halt deportations of Venezuelan migrants, marking a significant escalation in the president’s confrontation with the judiciary during his second term.

The president lashed out at James Boasberg, the chief judge of Washington’s federal district court, on Tuesday, labelling him a “Radical Left Lunatic” and “troublemaker” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!” Trump wrote.

The barrage comes after Boasberg ordered the White House to halt deportation flights using the rarely invoked Alien Enemies Act – a 1798 law that grants the president power to detain and deport nationals from countries at war with the US. During a hearing on Monday, the judge accused the administration of deliberately ignoring his verbal order to redirect planes already carrying deportees.

But Trump tied his extrajudicial actions directly to his election win, writing on social media: “FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY. I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do.”

The call for judicial impeachment represents a breach of the traditional separation of powers between the executive and judicial branches – though one that has become more mainstream online, partly due to similar assertions by Elon Musk. While presidents have historically criticised legal decisions, direct calls for the impeachment of judges over specific rulings are exceptionally rare.

The justice department has already asked an appeals court to remove Boasberg from the case, arguing that his verbal directive lacked legal authority until formalized in writing.

An impeachment effort would almost certainly fail in Congress, where it would require a majority in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Historically, Congress has only pursued judicial impeachments in cases of clear corruption or misconduct, not disagreements over legal rulings.

Boasberg and Trump have shared legal history, as the judge previously presided over grand jury proceedings that led to Trump’s criminal charges related to the 2020 election and classified documents cases. Trump has long claimed the legal system is weaponized against him.

Last year, the supreme court chief justice, John Roberts, warned against politically motivated calls for judicial impeachment, writing that “attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed”.