President Trump blasted the courts early Saturday after a federal judge blocked his administration from using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan gang members.
“Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE. This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!” he added.
The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who determined Thursday that the 18th-century law can only be used when an “organized, armed force” threatens the United States, a standard he did not apply to multinational South American gangs.
Rodriguez rejected the administration’s argument that the law could target alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in his 36-page decision.
“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,” the judge wrote.
“Thus, the Proclamation’s language cannot be read as describing conduct that falls within the meaning of ‘invasion’ for purposes of the AEA,” he added.
The Alien Enemies Act, part of the four Alien and Sedition Acts signed by President John Adams in 1798, has rarely been invoked in modern times. Trump’s proclamation activating the centuries-old law in March represented a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategy, specifically targeting what the administration describes as transnational criminal organizations.
The administration deported more than 100 men to a high-security prison in El Salvador using the AEA, citing their tattoos and other evidence as proof of gang affiliation.
Continuing Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, the administration has asked the Supreme Court to end deportation protections for over 600,000 Venezuelans currently covered under Temporary Protected Status, per the Hill.
The case was brought by several Venezuelan nationals who claimed they were wrongfully targeted for deportation. Their attorneys argued that tattoos alone were insufficient evidence of gang affiliation and that many individuals were denied the opportunity to contest the allegations against them.
White House officials confirmed that the Justice Department plans to appeal Rodriguez’s ruling while exploring other legal options to continue the deportation of individuals they identify as gang members. The administration has maintained that aggressive immigration enforcement remains central to its public safety agenda.
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[[{“value”:”
President Trump blasted the courts early Saturday after a federal judge blocked his administration from using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan gang members.
“Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from?” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE. This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!” he added.
The ruling came from U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who determined Thursday that the 18th-century law can only be used when an “organized, armed force” threatens the United States, a standard he did not apply to multinational South American gangs.
Rodriguez rejected the administration’s argument that the law could target alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in his 36-page decision.
“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,” the judge wrote.
“Thus, the Proclamation’s language cannot be read as describing conduct that falls within the meaning of ‘invasion’ for purposes of the AEA,” he added.
The Alien Enemies Act, part of the four Alien and Sedition Acts signed by President John Adams in 1798, has rarely been invoked in modern times. Trump’s proclamation activating the centuries-old law in March represented a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategy, specifically targeting what the administration describes as transnational criminal organizations.
The administration deported more than 100 men to a high-security prison in El Salvador using the AEA, citing their tattoos and other evidence as proof of gang affiliation.
Continuing Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, the administration has asked the Supreme Court to end deportation protections for over 600,000 Venezuelans currently covered under Temporary Protected Status, per the Hill.
The case was brought by several Venezuelan nationals who claimed they were wrongfully targeted for deportation. Their attorneys argued that tattoos alone were insufficient evidence of gang affiliation and that many individuals were denied the opportunity to contest the allegations against them.
White House officials confirmed that the Justice Department plans to appeal Rodriguez’s ruling while exploring other legal options to continue the deportation of individuals they identify as gang members. The administration has maintained that aggressive immigration enforcement remains central to its public safety agenda.
“}]]
