Federal Judges Block Deportations of Venezuelan Immigrants Under Alien Enemies Act

Federal judges in Texas and California have temporarily blocked the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants accused of affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang under the Trump administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. In Texas, Judge David Briones ordered the release of a couple detained for alleged gang ties, finding that the government failed to provide a lawful basis for their continued detention and criticizing the unprecedented peacetime use of wartime powers. The rulings highlight judicial skepticism over the sufficiency of evidence linking immigrants to criminal activity and question the legality of applying the Alien Enemies Act in non-wartime contexts. Similarly, in California, Judge Sunshine S. Sykes blocked the deportation of another Venezuelan man, requiring the government to provide due process and adequate notice before removal. These decisions reflect broader judicial pushback against the executive branch’s expansive use of historical emergency powers for immigration enforcement. Other federal courts in New York, Colorado, and South Texas have issued similar temporary blocks.