US Court Blocks Trump’s Use of Wartime Law to Deport Venezuelans

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A US federal appeals court has ruled against President Donald Trump’s attempt to use a centuries-old wartime law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2–1 decision on Tuesday, said Trump cannot use the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport migrants in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Trump first invoked the 1798 law on March 15, ordering the deportation of alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. Two planeloads of suspects were flown to El Salvador’s high-security CECOT prison.

The law, originally created during the 18th century, allows the government to detain or deport citizens of foreign nations in times of war or invasion. It was last used during World War II to target Japanese-Americans.

Judge Leslie Southwick, writing for the majority, said there was no evidence of an “invasion or predatory incursion” that would justify using the AEA. Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez agreed, granting a preliminary injunction to block the removals.

Judge Andrew Oldham dissented, arguing that courts should not interfere in a president’s decision to invoke the law. “From the dawn of our nation until President Trump took office a second time, courts have never second-guessed the President’s invocation of that Act,” he wrote.

The ruling marks a major setback for Trump’s immigration strategy, which has faced a wave of legal challenges since his return to office.