Judge Blocks Trump’s Use of Alien Enemies Act to Speed Up Deportations

A federal judge has barred President Donald Trump from using a wartime powers act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members without a hearing.

Trump invoked the act to expedite the deportation of Venezuelans allegedly linked to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua.

The judge also ordered the administration to turn back any planes already en route following the enforcement of the Alien Enemies Act, The Washington Post reported.

Trump recently invoked the act—used only three times in US history, and only during declared wars—to expedite the deportation of Venezuelans allegedly linked to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua.

US District Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge in the District of Columbia, swiftly blocked officials from implementing the deportations, starting with five men facing imminent removal and later extending the ruling to cover all detainees affected by the proclamation.

Trump claimed that Tren de Aragua was “conducting irregular warfare” against the US under orders from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, framing them as an extension of a hostile foreign government.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward Foundation (DFF), representing the affected immigrants, argued in court filings that Trump’s justification was implausible.

“The Maduro regime disavows Tren de Aragua and is actively working to suppress it,” they stated.

During his ruling, Judge Boasberg noted that flights were already departing and ordered the administration to halt all removals and return any planes mid-flight.

He emphasized the irreversible harm the deportees—some as young as 14—could face, stating that many would likely be sent to foreign prisons or returned to Venezuela, where they risk persecution or worse.