US judge says he could hold Trump administration in contempt of court

US President Donald Trump/FILE

A US judge has said he could hold the Trump administration in contempt of court for "willful disregard" of an order to halt the departure of deportation flights carrying more than 200 people to El Salvador last month.

The administration had invoked a 227-year-old law meant to protect the US during wartime to carry out the mass deportation.

"The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory," federal judge James Boasberg wrote in his ruling.

The decision to begin contempt proceedings escalates a clash between the White House and the judiciary over the president's powers.