'Never meant to target': 'Alien Enemies Act' not applicable for Venezuelan gang; federal court rules against Donald Trum

[Judi Lynn]

‘Never meant to target’: 'Alien Enemies Act' not applicable for Venezuelan gang; federal court rules against Donald Trump's move

TOI World Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Sep 03, 2025, 11:36 IST

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that US president Donald Trump cannot invoke an 18th-century wartime law to accelerate the deportation of individuals accused of belonging to a Venezuelan gang.

The three-judge panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the nation’s most conservative appellate courts, blocked a major administration policy that could now head to the Supreme Court.

It agreed with immigrant rights lawyers and lower court judges who said the 1798 Alien Enemies Act was never meant to target gangs like Tren de Aragua, the group Trump sought to punish in March.

“A country’s encouraging its residents and citizens to enter this country illegally is not the modern-day equivalent of sending an armed, organized force to occupy, to disrupt, or to otherwise harm the United States,” wrote the judges as cited by AP.

More:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/never-meant-to-target-alien-enemies-act-not-applicable-for-venezuelan-gang-federal-court-rules-against-donald-trumps-move/articleshow/123670751.cms