Embattled federal Judge James Boasberg on Monday declined to lift his halting of deportation flights from earlier this month, even as a federal appeals court debates whether he had the authority to do so.

Boasberg, a U.S. District judge, issued an order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal migrants to El Salvador and Honduras. Administration lawyers argued that the planes were already in the air when Boasberg ordered the planes to be turned around. The planes were not turned around.

The judge defended his previous ruling that halted the deportations, stating that he was only blocking the deportation flights that were ordered under the Alien Enemies Act, and that he was not stopping all deportations under other authorities.

"It is important to stress once again that the Order was narrow: it prevented Defendants only from removing the Plaintiff class on the sole basis of the Proclamation," Boasberg wrote in Monday's ruling, per NBC News. "In other words, the Order did not prevent Defendants from removing anyone — to include members of the class — through other immigration authorities.

"The Order also did not require Defendants to release a single person held in their custody, even individuals held only on the basis of the Proclamation," the judge continued. "And it did not even prevent Defendants from apprehending noncitizens under the authority of the Proclamation (or any other law, for that matter)."

The order did block the Trump administration from deporting alleged members of the Tren De Aragua gang without allowing them to defend themselves or deny the allegations. The plaintiffs have argued that many people on the flights were not gang members.

"As the Government itself concedes, the awesome power granted by the Act may be brought to bear only on those who are, in fact, 'alien enemies,'" the judge wrote. "Because the named Plaintiffs dispute that they are members of Tren de Aragua, they may not be deported until a court has been able to decide the merits of their challenge."

The D.C. Court of Appeals on Monday afternoon heard arguments on whether Boasberg had the authority to temporarily halt the Trump administration's efforts using the wartime powers.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.