Trump cannot use Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, judge rules
- On May 1, 2025, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. Blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act in South Texas.
- This ruling came after President Trump issued a proclamation in March asserting that members of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua were entering the United States illegally and invoked an 18th-century wartime statute to accelerate their deportation.
- The Act, last used during World War II to intern Japanese-Americans, has faced multiple legal challenges and sparked litigation after attempts to transfer migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison.
- Rodriguez wrote the administration lacked authority under the Act, stating allowing the president to unilaterally invoke it would remove all statutory limits on executive power.
- The ruling prevents using the wartime law for these deportations but allows other immigration laws to apply, marking the first court decision limiting peaceful use of the Act.
255 Articles
255 Articles
Trump-appointed judge blocks Alien Enemies Act deportations of alleged gangbangers in South Texas
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from using an 18th-century law to deport suspected Venezuelan gangbangers in South Texas, ruling that the president’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act is “unlawful.”
ThePatriotLight - Trump Abusing Alien Enemies Act by Claiming We're Being Invaded
ThePatriotLight - Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said Thursday on CNN’s “The Arena” that the Trump administration was abusing the Alien Enemies Act for deportations. Host Kasie Hunt said, “There also was a ruling today from a federal judge, a Trump-appointed judge, actually, that the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people from Venezuela, who the administration alleges to be part of a gang, is not allowed. What was your reaction to that?”…
Federal judge bars use of Alien Enemies Act in key South Texas area • Nebraska Examiner
Prisoners sit at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, on April 4, 2025, in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of Venezuelan criminal organizations to the prison. (Photo by Alex Peña/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — A federal judge Thursday struck down President Donald Trump’s use of a wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals, but limited the scope to the Southern District of Texa…
Federal judge bars use of Alien Enemies Act in key South Texas area • Source New Mexico
Prisoners sit at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, on April 4, 2025, in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of Venezuelan criminal organizations to the prison. (Photo by Alex Peña/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — A federal judge Thursday struck down President Donald Trump’s use of a wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals, but limited the scope to the Southern District of Texa…


Federal judge bars use of Alien Enemies Act in key South Texas area
Prisoners sit at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, on April 4, 2025, in Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of Venezuelan criminal organizations to the prison. (Photo by Alex Peña/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — A federal judge Thursday struck down President Donald Trump’s use of a wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals, but limited the scope to the Southern District of Texa…
A Trump judge’s ruling against Trump’s deportations, briefly explained
Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. — whom President Donald Trump appointed in his first term — ruled the president was misusing the Alien Enemies Act. | Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: A federal judge today barred President Donald Trump from usin…
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