Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a court filing Friday that Cabinet secretaries are considering invoking the state secrets privilege to avoid answering a judge’s questions about the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.

“I understand that Cabinet Secretaries are currently actively considering whether to invoke the state secrets privilege over the other facts requested by the Court’s order,” Robert Cerna, an acting field director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE wrote in a declaration filed by Blanche. “Doing so is a serious matter that requires careful consideration of national security and foreign relations, and it cannot properly be undertaken in just 24 hours.”

Judge James Boasberg had ordered the Trump administration to provide more details about the fight or assert state secrets. A hearing on the issue was scheduled for Friday afternoon.

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