bsky.app/profile/kyle...

It’s connected! I hope you could hear though. They are pausing causing not ever is up to date it seems

Here's the complaint filed late last night. One of the named plaintiffs is as young as 10. Judge Sooknanan already entered a TRO to bar the removal of named plaintiffs, and a new TRO just hit the docket for the larger putative class. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Ok, the hearing is underway. Drew Ensign is here for DOJ. (The audio isn't great so I couldn't catch which attorneys are here for the plaintiffs.)

Thank you for interrupting your holiday weekend to do this reporting! You are a bright light in a sea of distressing news.

And a shout out to the judge who took the call at 2 am & had set the hearing by 3 am & then moved up the hearing because plaintiffs advised that the government was in the process of removing the children. She is aware of the governments duplicity in ignoring another court's order in a similar case.

Drew “Thirty Pieces of Silver” Ensign once again defends the indefensible & asserts government’s prerogative to torment & torture innocents for sport & Stephen Miller’s favor.

Three flights to Guatemala are in en route. Looking like lying again

Sooknanan starts off by asking Ensign if he's aware that she just entered a new TRO on the docket to bar the removal of the putative class of minor children. He says no, he's not. She asks him to take minutes to circulate that order to his clients. We're in recess for 5 min while he does so.

This whole scenario feels like it's straight outta the government's Alien Enemies Act/J.G.G. playbook. In J.G.G., Boasberg entered TRO barring removal of named plaintiffs and set weekend emergency hearing on certification of class. But DHS started removing people just before/during hearing...

ghoulish behavior

Removal is supported by the bove doctrine at main justice

The government is contemptuously laughing at the contempt proceedings in the JGG case.

They started moving people during the break in the hearing which was ordered because Ensign played dumb about the govts plan.

I wonder if they've given these kids food and water. How hot are the planes? These kids can't even sleep. This is child abuse.

Completely clueless here. Does the judge have the right to put on the brakes and demand to be taken to where the children are currently being taken to/from?

We're back and Sooknanan asks if any planes have taken off. Ensign says all of the planes are on the ground -- one of them might have taken off and turned around. He's not sure. His understanding is that if that's the case, plane has returned.

One lesson was learned I guess 🤨

CYA

Drew Ensign has lied to the court before about the whereabouts of planes.

Scary, tbh

Sooknanan explains the circumstances of how/when she got the case. First got a call around 2 am last night, entered TRO and set hearing. Moved up hearing after receiving call from plaintiffs to notify her that children were in process of being removed. Then entered new TRO for putative class.

Federal judges just love those 2 am phone calls . . .

My god … what if she hadn’t gotten the call (phone on silent)? The plaintiffs attorneys are heroes. What kind of monsters are these people? (The worst, I know).

When Sooknanan wraps up, counsel for plaintiffs tell her that their understanding is that the planes with the children have been grounded but that the children have not been deplaned. Sooknanan asks Ensign for an explanation, he says it might be that they're waiting for resolution of this hearing

"Hey Ensign, Maybe get them off the fucking planes then?"

"The planes that you were already ordered not to put them on, those planes, get them off now."

Damn

The resolution they should be waiting for is a head, heart & gut telling them what they're doing is beyond immoral and has entered the realm of what we call monstrosity.

That only works on people who have a functioning moral compass, empathy, and basic humanity. All of which are disqualifying traits under the current regime.

Sooknanan asks Ensign about legal authority for the removals. He discusses a statutory provision that authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to unite children with parents from whom they've been separated...

Ensign: "The Government of Guatemala has requested the return of these children, and all of these children have their parents or guardians in Guatemala who are requesting their return..."

Republicans see kids as roadkill on the highway to hell they are driving down.

I'm sure each child's situation is different, but I have been wondering for a while, in general, is it most common for unaccompanied immigrant minors to be living with relatives here in the US? If not, where are they usually placed?

Judge Sooknanan isn't buying it... The plaintiffs are telling me, she says, that the children do not want to go back to Guatemala, that no request has been made, and that they fear returning to Guatemala, and may be subject to harm

For how much and how did they determine it’s their parents or guardians?

Just stop teaching Evidence in law school because it has become irrelevant. (And because the hearsay rule is very confusing.)

Swear him in.

I do believe that

Ensign is lying to the Court.

Proof

When the DoJ lies like this, the court should prove that it is a lie, and consider EVERY statement made by them going forward as a lie afterwards

He should be forced to call and confirm right now!

“Might be”…!?!

Sooknanan needs ask why the children are being human-trafficked to foreign rent-a-death camps or if these children are fooder for Felon47's new Epstein-Maxwell style child rape ring.

They are holding scared kids on planes for hours.

Are they all in shackles, as well?

I assure you that they are. And the people doing this are wearing mask because that is more scary and they desire to terrorize children.

Toddlers are pretty dangerous.

I think the youngest here is 10, though

Knowing these criminals, probably.

I think many do not realize they treat children this way.

Good god, so many Americans willfully complicit in treating CHILDREN like animals.

🤮

Is it just me or is the a wide gap between SS: "Is it your REPRESENTATION that …" and DE: "Your Honor, my UNDERSTANDING is that…" ?

Exactly! DOJ should be providing facts and evidence. They don’t get to hide behind plausible deniability

Cannot thank you enough for covering this on a weekend, Anna🙏

How heartless are these people? So intent on meeting deportation goals that judge must take 2am call on a Sunday & issue a TRO to stop them from deporting children to Guatemala. They’re weaker by acting so inhumanely. No mercy? No justice. Thanks to lawyers representing kids. Fighting good fight!

Ensign is unsure about one plane. That sounds like a familiar story, exactly what they did last time. What are the odds that plane is still on US soil?

About 0 in 1

Do we know how many kids were put through this?

They’re lying

when will Ensign realize DOJ / ICEis does not care about him, or the rules?

I don’t trust them.

I don’t think the judge does either.

Nor should anyone.

planes with little kids with no parents little kids no parents

I can't even.....😭 How scared must they be. The cruelty of this regime is beyond the pale. Not one heart in the entire administration.

I wouldn't belive him, personally.

GET THE CAMERAS THERE!! AT THE AIRPORT!!

Somewhere I saw that Gov asked for 5 days to reply. Given DOJ sued MD judges for insisting TWO days to file habeus (too slow!), I think judges should say “I would give you two, but now only one as you think reasonable. If not release them all” cc @muellershewrote.com @joycewhitevance.bsky.social

Here we go again.

Sure, we totally believe him.

Jesus

Maybe. Maybe not. bsky.app/profile/jjin...

Fool me once… shame on you…… fool me twice………. can’t get fooled again!

That’s somewhat reassuring.

Require that lying SOB Ensign to guaran-fucking-te that those children won’t end up in Trump & the GOP’s pedo den. Make him sign away his own life as collateral.

The pilots who are agreeing to transporting migrants without proper legal authorization should be charged with human trafficking.

Only this time this one may actually lead to contempt faster.

The Appellate Court should have never ruled the Federal Courts cannot enforce Contempt charges against DOJ, or the Whitehouse. By the way, I read an article yesterday where Judge Boasberg has filed an appeal on this before the full court. I hope the hell he wins!

They never said that. They only said he couldn’t given hold them in contempt over the order due to how the tros were vacated.

It was still a bs ruling by the appeals court. But yeah if he was holding them in contempt for the Supreme Court’s due process requirement then even Rao would draw the line.

It seems this administration goes to extreme lengths to do things that are just awful.

Miller's just telling the DOJ to "screw their orders, screw their human rights", isn't he.

The actual phrase is that the courts can "fuck off."

I remember that too.

^this

‪Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD‬ @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social‬ Bill Cassidy is a physician who is being humiliated daily by Robert F. Kennedy. Kennedy has exposed Cassidy’s craven prioritization of his own power over the health and safety of his constituents and of the United States of America.

This is bullshit. There are methods for doing this through state courts and the UCCJEA. I have handled cases involving minors from foreign countries in Florida state court. The DOJ appears to be lying here.

Honest question: Is it grounds for a child's asylum claims that their parent(s) are abusing them? (I'd think not.)

Trafficking yes

Always

Our warm thoughts go to Justice Rao, whose behavior on the special panel with first delaying and then blocking the contempt proceedings from that case have allowed the government to run the same shit all over again.

Thanks for reporting on this!

Yes, it's very much appreciated

Child trafficking by us gov

tbh I can't name one person in this administration who doesn't seem like they have dabbled in human trafficking. NOT ONE!

So they have deniability.

Thank you for covering the courts on the weekend so we all stay informed! I appreciate all your hard work!

Is it just me or are judges being extra careful to make sure Ensign and others communicate this stuff after the administration ignored court orders and sent people to El Salvador earlier this year?

Some (many?) judges aren't as willing to give the DoJ the benefit of the doubt at this point. (I think it's called a "presumption of regulatory" or something like that?) It only 8 months to end decades of reasonable assumption.

Did they stop once the ruling was communicated to them? If not, and there wasn’t some higher court order staying it — and that happens again — our problem becomes exponentially worse

This was a similar case months ago with Garcia and how even the Supreme Court told them they had to bring him back. But the deadline was initially too tight apparently.

No, the deadline was not the problem. You can rest assured that DOJ knew, and ignored it. They've already explained the Bove Doctrine, after all.

Dear lord. Thank you for covering this for us, Anna. You're an absolute treasure.

Of course he's not! And I believe him! 🤮

Golly, the judge needs to recommend to the Bar Association that Ensign be disbarred.

Can say the same for Noem.

I didn't know that KKKosplayKKKristi had a law degree . . . Little "Mark the Rube" Rubio needs to be disbarred.

Does Ensign just not have a direct line to the people at DHS calling these shots?

A WAG When there is nefariousness to be done, they are all officially unable to reach each other … cause,difficulties…(mumble)…. Meanwhile, on signal on unofficial phones…

youtu.be/6DkIbNE25Q0?.... Republicans covered up signslgate very efficidntly.

How convenient for the Administration.

Smart judge.

How can he not be aware? Either he or his clerks MUST have known and if the clerks didn’t tell him, that’s a dereliction of duty on their part.

If I am aware, he should be aware.

I think this is a new order which isn't publicly docketed yet. The prior order (despite reporting) only applied to the 10 named plaintiffs, not the putative class members (based on my read).

It was entered in the docket bsky.app/profile/kyle...

While the hearing was already underway

(And it only just appeared on recap)

They pull Ensign out of the Cone of Silence right before each hearing, and put him back immediately after.

Clerks? What makes you think Ensign has clerks?

Ensign is either lying or terrible at his job. I guess I hope he's lying so we can get him one day

Hey, it can be both!

It could also be that his superiors are keeping him in the dark, trifecta!

Fucking Ensign again - he’s going to be a mid tier villain in the history books.

Another one who will use the “I was just acting under orders” defence come the day.

That didn’t work at Nuremberg 1.0.

“Dance the hempen jig”!!!

600 KIDS for Gods sake. What has happened to America?

Fascism.

One day soon it’ll be Drew Ensign’s turn in the barrel.

Did you ever catch who is representing plaintiffs? Thanks so much for this livestream btw!!

If anything happens to Ensign does the DoJ just collapse entirely?

Thank you Anna for your reporting.

Thank you!

Fuck that asshole.

I'll bet a lot of my replies get covered, too. Lol

What?

Your post was covered with a little eyeball(which I always click on).

Ohhhh. It is Efren C. Olivares for plaintiffs. SS just said his name so much more clearly in her closing. (Hilda Bonilla who filed the papers was also there but she didn't speak other than initially).

The people “doing something”

💙💙💙💙💯💯💯⚔️💯💯

"The putative class includes all Guatemalan unaccompanied minors in HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement custody as of 1:02 AM on Aug 31, 2025" So if any had been transferred to the custody of another entity, they wouldn't be protected? – a (rhetorical) question, used to be, one didn't need to ask.

I'd assume that they'd then still be part of the Flores class and subject to that settlement? (Not a lawyer)

I know the Flores case, but otherwise in this context, I don't know.

Seems like it if they don't actually have order of removal: have to be transferred from CBP/ICE to ORR and then released during case review. Could also be subject to last week's order restraining expedited removal depending on facts. Or Mrs L class, maybe? Just a layman's take though.

10. Jehoshaphat.

This administration is inhumane.

Can you give us the call-in number?

The call-in number that is listed for her courtroom didn’t seem to have a host (assuming this means that standard external remote access wasn’t available / enabled). Whether Anna had any other information, I’m not sure of. But the places I usually check had no luck.

🤞🏻

Thank you so much for these threads.