Judge blocks Trump administration’s plan to deport Venezuelans under 1798 law

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - A federal judge on Saturday blocked the Donald Trump administration’s reported plan to use the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798 to expedite the deportation of five Venezuelan nationals.

US District Judge James Boasberg issued the restraining order hours after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a motion challenging the administration’s efforts.

The ACLU, representing five individuals in immigration custody, argued that the plaintiffs have compelling asylum claims, including one who fled Venezuela after being beaten by police for his stepfather’s political dissent.

The judge ruled that the administration cannot remove the plaintiffs for two weeks, pending a hearing on the challenge.

A remote hearing is scheduled for later Saturday where the ACLU will seek to broaden the order to protect others potentially affected by the law.

The Trump administration is said to have planned to invoke the act, a wartime law allowing the president to detain or deport non-citizens from hostile nations, to target Venezuelans allegedly affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, designated as a foreign terrorist organization in the US.