Trump Judge Blocks Usage Of Alien Enemies Act

The Independent reports:

The Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport Venezuelan immigrants accused of being gang members “exceeds” the scope of the law and runs “contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning” of the wartime statute.

Texas District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, who was appointed by Trump himself, ruled on Thursday that the administration cannot rely on the 18th century law to detain and deport alleged Tren de Aragua members, which is “unlawful.”

The government does “not possess the lawful authority” under the Alien Enemies Act, based on Donald Trump’s proclamation invoking the law for the fourth time in U.S. history, “to detain Venezuelan aliens, transfer them within the United States, or remove them from the country,” according to the judge’s 36-page ruling.

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