SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon senators raised alarms over what they describe as a constitutional crisis, urging Americans to defend civil liberties and due process against rising authoritarianism.

Throughout the week, senators took to the Senate floor to denounce the Trump administration’s actions after a federal judge said on Wednesday he found probable cause to hold President Donald Trump’s administration in criminal contempt of court for violating his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador.

Senator Deb Patterson of Salem criticized the administration for “trampling on the ideals we all hold dear—ideals of due process, human rights, and the rule of law for migrants, visitors, permanent residents, and citizens.”

She warned of “irreparable harm to our nation’s values, our country’s global standing, and to growing numbers of human lives.”

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg warned he could refer the matter for prosecution if the Trump administration does not “purge” its contempt.

Boasberg said the administration could do so by returning to U.S. custody those who were sent to the El Salvador prison in violation of his order so that they “might avail themselves of their right to challenge their removability.”

Senator Lew Frederick of Portland condemned the administration’s actions as “evil,” citing the White House’s refusal to abide by the Supreme Court decision.

He expressed concern over the administration’s apparent use of “Mein Kampf” as a guide, saying, “Threats to jail Americans in foreign extermination camps if they disagree with the would-be king dictator now in the White House.”

Senator Sara Gelser Blouin of Corvallis, Albany, and South Salem reflected on her visit to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany, warning against normalizing the unthinkable.

“What’s happening now matters to all of us. Let’s not let it be normal,” she said.

Senator Chris Gorsek of Gresham called on Congress to uphold the separation of powers, stating, “Whether you like the President or not, the President has done some things that violate the Constitution, that violate separation of powers.”

On Wednesday, Senator Khanh Pham of Portland highlighted the administration’s disregard for court orders, specifically mentioning the case of Kilmar Abrego García, the legally protected Maryland man deported in error.

Pham warned of threats to deport U.S. citizens, saying, “Our Constitution is in crisis, due process and the courts are blatantly ignored.” She urged unity against the administration. “Now is the time to sound the alarm. Now is the time to call out this attack on our Constitution, our civil liberties and civil rights as the authoritarian power grab that it is,” she said.

The White House said it will appeal the federal judge’s order to return Abrego García.