President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 over the weekend to order the immediate deportation of all Venezuelan illegal immigrants 14 and older who are members of Tren de Aragua.

James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ordered a two-week halt of the deportations on Saturday.

Trump administration officials claimed that because two flights were already in the air over international waters, Boasberg’s order was null.

However, administration officials have repeatedly said they would comply with federal orders as they continue to attack judges such as Boasberg for allegedly overstepping their judicial powers.

“This judge cannot, does not have that authority,” Leavitt said. “It is the opinion of this White House and of this administration, and that’s why we’re fighting this in court.

“And it’s very, very clear that this is an activist judge who is trying to usurp the president’s authority,” Leavitt continued. “Under the Alien Enemies Act, the president has this power, and that’s why this deportation campaign has continued.”

Leavitt also branded Boasberg as a “Democrat activist,” pointing to former President Barack Obama nominating him to the bench. A reporter in the briefing room noted that Boasberg was initially appointed by former President George W. Bush and then elevated by Obama.

Leavitt countered that “67% of all of the injunctions in this century have come against which president? Donald J. Trump,” adding that they are overwhelmingly the product of “Democrat-appointed judges.”

“This is a clear-concerted effort by leftists who don’t like this president and are trying to impose or slow down his agenda,” Leavitt said.

Boasberg provided the Justice Department with a one-day extension on Wednesday to answer his questions regarding the deportation flights. Trump and his allies have since called for judicial House impeachment proceedings, with Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) filing articles of impeachment against Boasberg within hours of the president’s post.

Questions over who was on the flights and why have also grown. When asked about the deportations, White House Deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller sidestepped speaking about a case in which at least one of the immigrants on the flight was deported to El Salvador despite having no criminal record and holding protected status in the United States.

“Is it your position that a member of Tren de Aragua, who is in our United States illegally, should be allowed to commit crimes limitlessly, until such time as that individual is incarcerated, that it should be open season on Americans?” Miller responded when first questioned.

“It’s like ISIS coming into your country, or al Qaeda coming into your country, and that you let them stay here, Catch your release, catch and release, catch and release,” Miller continued. “And then eventually, only after they’ve served some prison time in America that they get sent out. Our job is to send the terrorists out before anyone else gets raped or murdered.”

The wife of a Maryland man who was deported told NBC News that he was not a member of Tren de Aragua. “This is unfair,” she said. “You just don’t go randomly picking up people and sending them and putting on a plane.”

Miller, however, claimed that immigrants without a criminal record are still a threat to the public.

VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS NOT DEPORTED ‘SOLELY’ WITH ALIEN ENEMIES ACT, ICE OFFICIAL SAYS

“They’re all Tren de Aragua,” he said when asked again about whether the Trump administration would provide evidence that everyone on the deported flights were criminal gang members.

“Let’s say that you have a family living in your neighborhood. Next to them they have little children, next to them is a Tren de Aragua gang member who … are sent here by a hostile regime, and is the most violent, ruthless criminal terrorist organization in the western hemisphere,” he explained. “So do our counterterrorism officers arrest and remove the terrorist, or do we say we’ll leave you there? You can rape and murder the people next to you, and then after you rape and murder them, and then only then we remove you. We’re not gonna let anyone get raped, let anyone get murdered by terrorists.”