Judges block deportation of alleged gang members, for now

• Two federal District Court judges blocked the Trump Administration from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members. The rulings apply to those detained in Texas and New York.
• The judges said their opinion aligns with a Supreme Court ruling that said the Trump administration can only deport immigrants using the Alien Enemies Act after they receive due process.
• There are hearings set to determine if the immigrants in these cases are truly in a gang.

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Two federal District Court judges blocked the Trump Administration from deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members. The judges in Texas and New York determined those slated for deportation must be given proper notice and an opportunity for a hearing, aligning with a Supreme Court decision released Monday, April 7. 

The ruling by Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. applies to immigrants held at a detention center just north of the border city of Brownsville, Texas. The ruling by Judge Alvin Hellserstein applies to immigrants in the Southern District of New York, which covers New York City and the state’s southernmost counties.

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What did the Supreme Court decide?

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to stop the Trump administration from deporting migrants under the Alien Enemies Act. However, the 5-4 ruling also stated detainees must be given due process and an opportunity to challenge both their detention and whether the law is being properly applied to their case.

The court’s conservatives made up the majority. Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined the court’s liberals in the dissent. 

What did the District Court judges decide?

Rodriguez ruled that those detained would suffer “irreparable injury” if they were deported because they likely could not be returned to the United States if they won their case. 

Both judges set dates for hearings which will determine whether the accused gang members are truly in a gang and can be deported. 

Where is the Trump Administration trying to send the deportees?

The Trump administration is trying to deport those accused of being in the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to El Salvador. The country made a deal with the Trump administration to accept immigrants accused of committing violent crimes in its notorious high-security prison called CECOT.

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The ACLU represented the immigrants in these cases. The organization said one of their clients just fled Venezuela in 2024 after facing threats from both the gang and the Maduro regime due to his sexual orientation.

The organization argued the Trump administration should not be allowed to invoke the Alien Enemies Act because it is not being used during a war or invasion.

According to reports, the Trump administration has deported 238 Venezuelans to the CECOT prison.