Federal judges limit Trump's use of Alien Enemies Act for some deportations
A Texas judge blocked deportations of anyone held in a South Texas detention facility who may be removed under the wartime law and a New York judge planned a similar order in part of that state.
A federal judge in Texas issued an order Wednesday temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people held in a south Texas immigration detention center without due process. A second federal judge in New York said in a hearing that he planned a similar order applying to migrants held in the Southern District of New York.
In Texas, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., in Brownsville, blocked the removal of any person held in El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, who could be subject to President Donald Trump’s proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime deportation law.
District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in the Southern District of New York said he would issue a temporary restraining order Wednesday blocking the Trump administration from deporting without a proper notice and hearing any Venezuelan migrants the administration has said are removable under the act.
NBC News has reached out to the Justice Department for comment on both cases.
Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act last month after declaring the Venezuela gang Tren de Aragua an invading force. Immigration officials have since used that act to deport hundreds of people, without immigration hearings, alleging that they are members of the gang. Many have ended up in a mega-prison in El Salvador known for its harsh conditions and reported abuse.
Rating: 5