Trump administration deports lots of linked to Venezuelan gang regardless of federal choose’s block

The Trump administration announced it had deported hundreds of alleged members of a Venezuelan gang, even after a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which the president invoked on Saturday.

“This weekend, at the President’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security successfully arrested nearly 300 Tren De Aragua terrorists, saving countless American lives,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday. “Thanks to the great work of the Department of State, these heinous monsters were extracted and removed to El Salvador where they will no longer be able to pose any threat to the American People.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio also remarked on the deportations Sunday, writing in a statement on X that “El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars.” He added that the U.S. also sent two “dangerous” top MS-13 gang leaders as well as 21 Salvadorans “to face justice” in the country.

The announcement comes one day after Chief Judge James Boasberg issued a temporary restraining order on deportations under wartime law on Saturday night. This order blocks the deportation of any non-citizens in custody and facing removal under the Alien Enemies Act for at least 14 days.

The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward challenging Trump’s order hours before he signed it.

“I think there’s clearly irreparable harm here given these folks will be deported,” Boasberg said. “A brief delay in their removal does not cause the government any harm.”

“Particularly given the plaintiffs’ information, unrebutted by the government, that flights are actively departing and planning to depart, I do not believe that I’m able to wait any longer,” he added. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States.”

Democrats swiftly condemned the deportations.

Speaking on MSNBC Sunday, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats are “going to stand strongly in support of the rule of law and its application, which the Trump administration appears to be violating in this particular instance.”

House Judiciary Democrats said the invocation of the act requires a declaration of war. “But Congress has declared no such war,” the statement read. “There are lots of lawful ways to promote public safety and national security, but this is a lawless and reckless exercise of emergency powers to skip over Congress and due process.”

Earlier Saturday, Boasberg had issued a preemptive block on the removal of the five Venezuelans identified in the lawsuit who believed they were about to be removed. At that point, Trump had not yet signed the executive order.

Trump issued the executive order on Saturday afternoon, invoking the rarely-used wartime power against members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Trump’s order claims the gang is invading the US, and under the Alien Enemies Act, the administration has new powers to deport members.

“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.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the gang a foreign terrorist organization last month following an executive order that allowed him to do so.

The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is intended to be invoked when the country is at war or if a foreign nation has invaded the U.S. or has issued threats that it will. While the administration is pointing to threats from gangs and cartels, legal experts noted that it will be challenging for the administration to use the law when the country isn’t being actively attacked by a foreign government.

Beatriz Lopez, co-executive director of the Immigration Hub, said in a statement that “Trump is unearthing one of America’s darkest laws to launch a deportation dragnet unlike anything in modern history.”

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.

Source: independent.co.uk