A federal judge in west Texas has temporarily blocked the deportations of Venezuelan immigrants under an 18th-century law known as the Alien Enemies Act. US District Judge David Briones in El Paso, Texas, issued the ruling on Friday, ordering the release of a couple accused of being members of a Venezuelan criminal gang.
The couple, Julio Cesar Sanchez Puentes and Luddis Norelia Sanchez Garcia, were arrested at the El Paso airport as they prepared to return home. They had been granted temporary protected status after entering the US from Mexico in 2022, but their status was terminated on April 1. The couple’s lawyers argued that government officials “have not demonstrated they have any lawful basis” for detaining them.
The ruling is similar to previous decisions by federal judges in Colorado, south Texas, and New York, who also blocked the deportations of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act. The judge ordered the government to give a 21-day notice before attempting to remove anyone in west Texas, unlike the 12 hours claimed by the government.
The decision comes as the Trump administration and local authorities clash over the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown. The ruling also underscores concerns about the executive branch’s use of wartime power in peacetime situations. Judge Briones emphasized that “due process requirements for the removal of noncitizens are long established” under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The El Paso case is one of several recent decisions challenging the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The US Supreme Court has also ruled on similar issues, requiring a hearing in federal court before deporting individuals deemed to be part of a foreign terrorist organization.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/immigration-trump-texas-venezuela-a2b8e109b98c4ff62ac7719614056ac3