Judge strikes down administration's use of Alien Enemies Act: A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas ruled that the president's use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport Venezuelans is unlawful, in a ruling that has big implications.
The decision by Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. "amounted to a philosophical rejection of the White House's attempts to transpose the Alien Enemies Act, which was passed in 1798 as the nascent United States was threatened by war with France, into the context of modern-day immigration policy," per The New York Times. Rodriguez argues that "the President's invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation [which invokes the act and designates the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization] exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute's terms."
"The Proclamation makes no reference to and in no manner suggests that a threat exists of an organized, armed group of individuals entering the United States at the direction of Venezuela to conquer the country or assume control over a portion of the nation. Thus, the Proclamation's language cannot be read as describing conduct that falls within the meaning of 'invasion' for purposes of the AEA," writes Judge Rodriguez, so "[President Donald Trump's] Proclamation exceeded the statutory boundaries that the AEA establishes."
