The government claimed it was not bound by the judge's order to block flights carrying gang members to El Salvador because it wasn't in writing.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration invoked wartime powers to deport hundreds of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang from the US to El Salvador. After a lawsuit was filed, a federal judge ordered the administration to stop the deportations,

Flight records reviewed by The Washington Post show that three flights bound for El Salvador arrived after a judge barred deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.