Donald Trump looks to remove U.S. judge who questioned deportation of Venezuelans [Video]

The U.S. Justice Department on Monday sought to remove a judge who ordered the Trump administration to explain whether it defied a court order by deporting hundreds of Venezuelans the White House says are violent criminals.

The Trump administration deported more than 200 Venezuelans it says were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion and contract killings, to El Salvador over the weekend, even as a judge temporarily blocked it from using a wartime law to carry out the deportations.

Several legal experts interviewed by Reuters said the flights represented a direct challenge to the judicial branch’s independence, although the White House denied that.

President Donald Trump has sought to push the boundaries of executive power since taking office in January, cutting spending authorized by Congress, dismantling agencies and firing thousands of federal workers.

On Monday, his Justice Department sought to remove the judge from the case.

The request to remove Judge James Boasberg …