U.S. District Judge James Boasberg pressed Justice Department officials Thursday on the status and location of more than 250 U.S. migrants deported from CECOT to Venezuela, in an attempt to weigh what, if any, opportunities the court has to order their return.

Boasberg has been at the center of the sweeping immigration case since March 15, when he issued an emergency order blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, to deport certain migrants to El Salvador. Despite the order, hundreds of migrants were deported to the Salvadorian prison, CECOT, in March, where they remained until last week, when they were sent from the prison in El Salvador to Venezuela, as part of a prisoner exchange with the U.S. 

Boasberg used Thursday’s hearing to primarily focus on the status of the 252 Venezuelan migrants now in the custody of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government. He pressed ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt, who is representing the class of CECOT migrants, about whether they had been in contact with the individuals sent from CECOT to Venezuela and their current status.

Gelernt said Thursday that while the migrants appear to be ‘thrilled’ to be out of CECOT custody, which he described in court as a ‘torture chamber,’ he said they have not been able to make contact with the majority of people who were detained for processing upon arrival in Venezuela.

He also cited fresh concerns about their custodial status in the country, noting that ‘many, if not most’ of the people deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in March had been in the U.S. seeking asylum from Venezuela. 

The Trump administration has not provided, as of this writing, a list of the migrants sent to CECOT in March, or details of their immigration status in the U.S. prior to removal. 

Justice Department lawyer Tiberius Davis told the court earlier Thursday that talks about the prisoner exchange began earlier this year, when Maduro reached out to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to initiate discussions. The conversations abruptly stalled, he said, noting the two countries ‘hate each other,’ and revived with the U.S. as an intermediary.

That, he said, coupled with the fact that the 10 American prisoners released from Venezuela were sent to El Salvador, and then to the U.S., showed that the US ‘does not have constructive custody.’ Boasberg did not press them for specifics.

Boasberg did, however, attempt to gauge the government’s compliance ahead of any future actions or rulings.

Asked Thursday whether the Justice Department would comply with the court’s orders, Davis said they would ‘if it was a lawful order.’ They also said they would likely seek an appeal from a higher court.

Boasberg signaled eagerness to move on further contempt proceedings. He took umbrage at the lack of action from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which had stayed his original motion in April. 

He ruled then that the court had found ‘probable cause’ to hold the Trump administration in contempt for failing to return the planes to U.S. soil, in accordance with his emergency order, and said the court had determined that the Trump administration demonstrated a ‘willful disregard’ for his order.

On Thursday, he revisited this, noting that the claims made by former DOJ attorney and whistleblower Erez Reuveni have ‘only strengthened the case for contempt.’

The hearing ultimately ended quickly, with Boasberg ordering the government and lawyers for the migrants to submit a joint status update to the court on Thursday, Aug. 7, and ordered them to continue to do so every two weeks thereafter until the court rules otherwise.

In June, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to provide all noncitizens deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador to be afforded the opportunity to seek habeas relief in court, and challenge their alleged gang status. That was also appealed to the higher court.

Speaking to reporters outside the court on Thursday, ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt characterized the Trump administration’s response during the status hearing as ‘the least’ of what they should be expected to do to grant due process to the class of CECOT plaintiffs now in Venezuela.

 ‘Given that there was a constitutional violation, it’s remarkable that the United States government will not simply bring the individuals back without a court order,’ Gelernt told Fox News. 

‘I’ve been doing this work for more than 30 years,’ he said. ‘It’s hard for me to imagine any prior administration, Democrat or Republican, not agreeing to simply bring individuals back where there was constitutional violation and the individuals have suffered so much and are continuing to be in harm.’

The brief hearing comes as Boasberg found himself at the center of Trump’s ire and attacks on so-called ‘activist’ judges this year, following his March 15 temporary restraining order that sought to block Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador earlier this year.

Boasberg ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be ‘immediately’ returned to U.S. soil, which did not happen. 

The emergency order touched off a complex legal saga that ultimately spawned dozens of federal court challenges across the country – though the one brought before his court on March 15 was the very first – and later prompted the Supreme Court to rule, on two separate occasions, that the hurried removals had violated migrants’ due process protections under the U.S. Constitution.

Boasberg, as a result, has emerged as the man at the center of the legal fallout.

While the order itself has been in a bit of a holding pattern – since the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed it when they agreed to review the ruling – Thursday’s hearing may well revive the bitterly divisive court fight.

Trump administration officials have repeatedly excoriated Boasberg as an ‘activist judge’ – a term they have employed for judges who have either paused or blocked Trump’s sweeping policy priorities enacted via executive order. Trump himself floated the idea that Boasberg could be impeached earlier this year – prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public warning.

‘Such was the situation into which Frengel Reyes Mota, Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, and scores of other Venezuelan noncitizens say they were plunged on March 15, 2025,’ Boasberg said.

Thursday’s hearing comes amid a flurry of new reports and allegations filed by plaintiffs in the case in an effort to reopen discovery.  

Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization hit a setback Thursday, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recalled Israel’s negotiating delegation from Doha following what officials described as a hardening of Hamas’ demands.

‘In light of the response Hamas delivered this morning, it has been decided to recall the negotiating team for further consultations in Israel,’ the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. ‘We appreciate the efforts of the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, and the efforts of envoy Steve Witkoff to achieve a breakthrough in the talks.’

According to reports in Israeli media, the terror group is now demanding the release of 200 Palestinians serving life sentences for murdering Israelis, and an additional 2,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza after Oct. 7. That demand significantly exceeds the previous mediator-backed framework – reportedly accepted by Israel – which included the release of 125 life-term prisoners and 1,200 other detainees.

Witkoff announced on X that his team is returning from Doha ‘for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.’ 

He praised the mediators’ efforts but said, ‘Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith.’ Witkoff added, ‘We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,’ calling it ‘a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way.’

‘The return of the delegation is not a collapse or a crisis, but the gaps are significant and present across all core issues,’ a senior Israeli official told Channel 12. Another official confirmed to U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that Hamas’ updated prisoner exchange terms are ‘unacceptable.’

A joint statement by 25 countries condemning Israel’s conduct in Gaza may have further complicated already fragile ceasefire negotiations, Israeli officials suggested. In response to the condemnation, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a sharply worded statement, warning, ‘At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.

‘Israel rejects the joint statement published by a group of countries, as it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.’ The ministry added that ‘all statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it.’ 

Hostage families expressed deep concern about the breakdown in negotiations. ‘The families are watching with concern as reports emerge about the negotiating team’s return,’ the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. ‘Every day that passes endangers the hostages’ chances of recovery and the ability to locate the dead. Another missed opportunity to bring everyone home would be unforgivable – a moral, security, and diplomatic failure.’

The negotiations, which have dragged on for weeks, are part of a proposed U.S.-backed deal involving a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some 50 remaining Israeli hostages, a phased release of Palestinian prisoners and expanded humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Hamas is also demanding that Israeli troops withdraw to positions held before March 2, when the last ceasefire collapsed, and that the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt reopen in both directions. The group further opposes the newly established U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund, demanding that aid distribution return to the previous U.N.-supervised mechanism.

A Hamas official told Reuters the group is insisting on a return to a Jan. 19 protocol for aid entry, and that ceasefire negotiations must include a clause preventing Israel from resuming military operations after the 60-day truce – even if a broader deal is not reached.

At the center of the deadlock is the growing humanitarian crisis. The U.N. and international aid groups warn that hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza face severe food insecurity. It is claimed that civilians in the north have been forced to survive on animal feed and foraged plants, while chaotic aid distributions in the south have repeatedly turned deadly.

In response to mounting pressure, Israel is visibly increasing the pace of aid deliveries. On Thursday, COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) reported that 70 aid trucks were transferred into Gaza on Wednesday through the Zikim and Kerem Shalom crossings. The shipments, primarily food, were delivered under IDF coordination with the U.N. and humanitarian organizations.

COGAT said more than 150 trucks were collected inside Gaza, but warned that over 800 trucks remain uncollected at the crossings due to logistical breakdowns on the Palestinian side.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) stated on X that it offered on Wednesday to deliver the U.N.’s tons of aid sitting in Gaza for free. John Acree, GHF’s interim director, said, ‘We’ve seen aid by the U.N. and other organization(s) being piled near the borders but not being delivered.’

Israeli journalist Nadav Eyal reported Thursday that senior defense officials say they’ve been instructed by the political echelon to ‘greatly speed up the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza’ and to ‘be less concerned with precautions or plans to keep it out of Hamas’ hands.’

As talks stall and military activity resumes, Israeli officials warn that the window for a deal may be closing. ‘There are still significant gaps,’ one source told Channel 12. ‘The negotiations are not over – but time is running out.’

The White House is claiming that Russia was attempting to sow ‘distrust and chaos,’ even as reports from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence suggest the Obama administration ‘manipulated’ Russian interference to undercut Trump’s win in 2016. 

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s position when he led the Senate Intelligence Committee fell in line with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s new findings. 

‘He said what they found is troubling,’ Leavitt said, while standing beside Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at a Wednesday White House press briefing. ‘We found irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling, which the director of national intelligence just confirmed for all of you that Russia was trying to sow distrust and chaos.’ 

‘What’s the outrage in this – that Secretary Rubio did not say at the time, the Democrats were saying at the time – is the fact that the intelligence community was concocting this narrative that the president colluded with the Russians, that the president’s son was holding secret meetings with the Russians, all of these lies that were never true,’ she continued. 

In 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Sen. Rubio, released a report finding ‘irrefutable evidence’ of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Now, Gabbard claims Obama officials manipulated intelligence to undermine Trump’s victory by playing up Russia’s actions during the 2016 election. 

But, Rubio said at the time, ‘We can say, without any hesitation, that the Committee found absolutely no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 election.’

He added that the report had found ‘deeply troubling actions’ on behalf of the FBI, ‘particularly their acceptance and willingness to rely on the ‘Steele Dossier’ without verifying its methodology or sourcing.’

The Steele dossier was funded by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee through the law firm Perkins Coie.

Documents recently released by Gabbard found intelligence showing Russian actors did not impact the 2016 election had been ‘suppressed.’ 

The Obama administration ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election, despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise, Gabbard claimed.

Gabbard also said the declassified documents have been shared with the Department of Justice and the FBI so those agencies can evaluate if any criminal implications stemming from the materials are warranted. 

Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush responded to the DNI claims: ‘Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.’

‘Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,’ he added. 

Rubio’s office referred Fox News Digital to Leavitt’s comments. 

Documents stated that intelligence officials had found Russia was ‘probably not trying… to influence the election by using cyber means.’

One instance was on Dec. 7, 2016, weeks after the election. Then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s talking points stated: ‘Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.’

A presidential daily brief prepared for President Barack Obama in 2016 assessed: ‘Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.’

But, the brief found, ‘Russian Government-affiliated actors most likely compromised an Illinois voter registration database and unsuccessfully attempted the same in other states.’

The brief stated that it was ‘highly unlikely’ the effort ‘would have resulted in altering any state’s official vote result.’ 

‘Criminal activity also failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes,’ it stated. 

The brief said the office of the Director of National Intelligence assessed Russian activities ‘probably were intended to cause psychological effects, such as undermining the credibility of the election process and candidates.’ 

Obama officials then ‘leaked false statements to media outlets,’ according to Gabbard’s office, claiming, ‘Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election.’

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 

Former White House chief of staff Ron Klain is cooperating with congressional investigators seeking information into former President Joe Biden’s mental health during his time in office, a pair of lawmakers suggested Thursday.

Klain, who ran Biden’s White House for the first two years of his term, is currently sitting down with staff on the House Oversight Committee as part of Chair James Comer’s probe into whether top administration aides covered up signs of decline in the former president while he was in office.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told reporters roughly an hour into the session that Klain ‘answered every question’ that Republicans put forward.

‘I found Mr. Klain to be very credible. He answered every single question. He was fully cooperative. There are times where he was asked about personal conversations he had with the president, and he was forthcoming,’ Khanna said.

‘I really appreciate his candor and the comprehensive way he had answered every question.’

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital minutes later when asked if Klain was credible, ‘Yeah – when I say credible, I think he is telling what he knows accurately. I mean, he’s trying to be accurate. So that’s what I’d say.’

‘In my opinion, he is not trying to avoid answering the questions. He’s answering the questions carefully. He’s saying the things that I kind of expected him to say,’ Biggs said. ‘But he’s been answering the questions, I think, forthrightly and in the way he sees the world.’

Comer, R-Ky., echoed the positive feedback to reporters when the session temporarily broke for lunch.

‘I think we’re having a very good transcribed interview. Mr. Klain is being fairly responsive to our questions,’ Comer said, adding that it would likely ‘go late into the afternoon.’

While he declined to give specifics on the back-and-forth, Comer told reporters, ‘We’ve asked specific questions. Obviously, evidence emerges on a daily basis that would suggest Joe Biden wasn’t mentally fit to be President of the United States.’

In closed-door transcribed interviews, it’s common for Republican and Democratic committee staff to each get an hour of questioning at a time, trading off until no more questions remain.

The two lawmakers spoke to reporters after the first hour of GOP questioning was finished.

That means Klain’s interview could go on for several hours.

Comer is investigating whether Biden’s top White House aides concealed signs of mental decline in the then-president, and if that meant executive actions were signed via autopen without his knowledge.

Biden maintained he ‘made every decision’ in a recent interview with The New York Times.

The United States has withdrawn its delegation from Doha, where it was participating in ceasefire negotiations this week, according to United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

The announcement came the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office also announced that its negotiators in Doha would also be leaving in light of the response from Hamas. Witkoff also met with Israeli and Qatari officials in Rome Thursday, according to reports.  

‘We have decided to bring our team home from Doha for consultations after the latest response from Hamas, which clearly shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza,’ Witkoff said in a statement Thursday. 

‘While the mediators have made a great effort, Hamas does not appear to be coordinated or acting in good faith. We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.’

Witkoff added that it was a ‘shame’ Hamas has acted in such a ‘selfish way,’ adding the U.S. stands resolute in its efforts to bring permanent peace to the region.

According to Israeli media reports, Hamas is now demanding the release of 200 Palestinians serving life sentences for murdering Israelis and an additional 2,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza after Oct. 7. 

The demand significantly exceeds the previous mediator-backed framework reportedly accepted by Israel, which included the release of 125 life-term prisoners and 1,200 other detainees.

At a State Department briefing Thursday, principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott would not elaborate on any details pertaining to the ‘alternative options’ the U.S. was considering in its effort to bring home hostages and create a more stable environment in Gaza.

‘At this point, (there’s) nothing to preview,’ Pigott told reporters. 

Pigott was also asked whether the U.S. would ever work within the Doha framework to advance negotiations again, a framework that has included representatives from Egypt, Qatar, Hamas, Israel and the United States, but he similarly did not share any details on that front. 

‘Ultimately, the special envoy statement speaks for itself, but I think the broader context here is also important. The fact that we have seen Hamas first break that ceasefire that existed on Oct. 7, then break another ceasefire, and then, here, as the special envoy makes clear, not acting in a way in order to achieve a ceasefire again,’ Pigott said Thursday. ‘So, to reiterate, the question has never been our commitment to a ceasefire. It has been Hamas’. They have shown that again and again and again and have just shown it once again.’

‘Israel has long accepted a deal on the table, and Hamas has long rejected it,’ he added.

During Thursday’s press briefing at the State Department, the agency also confirmed that the U.S. would not be participating in an upcoming United Nations conference discussing a potential two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians.

Fox News’ Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.