Trump administration updates: Schumer continues to face calls for new leadership

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration's defiance of a judge's order to turn around two flights containing hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members as she was peppered with questions during Monday's briefing.

"What do you say to Americans who want safe streets but are concerned due process is being violated?" one reporter asked.

"The president is using every lever of his executive authority and his constitutional authority within the bounds of the immigration laws of our country to ensure that our streets are safer for law-abiding American citizens," Leavitt responded.

When pressed for more details about the individuals deported and how they were determined for removal, Leavitt said that ICE and CBP were "sure about the identities of the individuals who were on these planes and the threat that they posed to our homeland."

On ignoring the judge's order over the weekend, Leavitt contended that the flights had already departed by the time the written ruling was handed down at 7:26 p.m. When asked about the judge's verbal order, which was given earlier than the written ruling, Leavitt repeated her statement and questioned the validity of verbal orders.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor is at the White House to meet with President Donald Trump on St. Patrick's Day.

McGregor appeared in the briefing room with press secretary Karoline Leavitt and took some questions from reporters.

"Ireland is at the cusp of potentially losing its Irishness," he said as he railed against the Irish government's handling of immigration and other issues.

Trump expressed his admiration for McGregor when he met with Ireland's Taoiseach Michael Martin last week. When asked who his favorite Irish person was, Trump responded: "I do happen to like your fighter ... Conor's great."

McGregor is a controversial figure who's faced several misconduct allegations throughout his career. Last fall, a civil jury in Ireland found him liable of sexual assault. McGregor had denied the accusations.

White House border czar Tom Homan defended the administration's decision not to comply with a federal judge's order to turn around deportation flights in the air during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning.

"It wasn't until this flight was already [in] international waters heading down to El Salvador that the judge made some comment about returning the flights. We are already in international waters. We are outside the borders of the United States. I'm the border czar. Once you are outside the border, you know, it is what it is," Homan said.

Homan said that there would be "another flight every day" when asked about what's next for immigration efforts.

"We are going to make this country safe again. I wake up every morning loving my job because I work for the greatest president in the history of my life. And we are going to make this country safe again. I'm proud to be a part of this administration. We are not stopping. I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the Left thinks. We're coming," Homan said.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

President Donald Trump said his lawyers would have to answer questions about his administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act, but added that the U.S. was in a "time of war."

When asked aboard Air Force One on Sunday whether the administration deliberately violated a federal judge's order barring deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, Trump said he didn't know if the order was violated: "You have to speak to the lawyers."

Trump added that he felt he was using the Alien Enemies Act appropriately despite the fact it has never been invoked in peacetime, saying, "this is a time of war," and citing the Biden administration's immigration policies.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr