Trump Stands By Swift Deportation Of Venezuelans Despite Legal Showdown: 'That's What Our Country Needs'

​President Donald Trump stood by his administration's decision to swiftly deport migrants, many of whom have not been granted a hearing, saying "that is what the country needs" at the moment.

Trump made the claim while speaking with press at the Oval Office. Concretely, he was asked if he thought he had the authority to round up and deport people without being in "no obligation to a court to show the evidence against them?" President Trump then responded:

"Well, that's what the law says, and that's what our country needs. Because we were, unfortunately, they allowed millions of people to come into our country totally unvetted, totally unchecked. So, you ought to ask...did Biden have the authority to do something that's unthinkable? Have open borders where millions of people poured into our country totally unvetted and totally unchecked?"

The statement comes amid ongoing legal disputes following the Trump administration's decision to invoke the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act, which allows authorities to conduct deportations without going through the usual legal channels.

The actions have catalyzed a clash with U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, whoy ordered the return of planes transporting Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, a directive the administration disregarded claiming that they had already deported. The judge has demanded an explanation for the non-compliance, saying that arguments given so far are "woefully insufficient."

President Trump further criticized the judiciary's role in immigration matters, suggesting that judges lack the authority to countermand executive decisions on deportations:

"These are hard, tough criminals, and we have to get them out. And a judge sitting behind a bench someplace, got a nice appointment. You can't take that away from the people that are responsible"

He added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has "got the authority to get bad people out of our country" and that "you can't stop that with a judge sitting behind a bench that has no idea what goes on, who happens to be a radical left lunatic."

The administration's actions have raised constitutional concerns, particularly regarding the balance of powers between the executive branch and the judiciary. Legal experts argue that invoking rarely used laws to justify expansive immigration enforcement may overstep executive authority, as Reuters reported on Tuesday.

On the accusations that many of the deportees were not gang members, Trump said that he "was told that they went through a very strong vetting process, and that will also be continuing in El Salvador," adding that, nevertheless, "his was a bad group, and they were in bad areas, and they were with a lot of other people that were absolutely killers, murderers, and people that were really bad, with the worst records you've ever seen."