A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from carrying out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which the Republican invoked against a Venezuelan gang earlier Saturday.
Chief Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order on deportations under the wartime law on Saturday night. This order blocks the removal of any non-citizens who are in custody under the Alien Enemies Act for at least 14 days.
Boasberg issued a preemptive block on their removal Saturday morning, after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the administration over the expected executive order.
Trump then issued the executive order on Saturday afternoon, invoking the rarely-used wartime power against members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
“I proclaim that all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies,” Trump wrote in his order.
More to come…
