What happened
Federal judges in Texas and New York Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, the first such rulings since the Supreme Court lifted a nationwide injunction on Monday.
Who said what
Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan and Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. in Brownsville, Texas, issued separate temporary restraining orders barring the administration from using the rarely invoked 18th century wartime powers to deport migrants in their districts. Rodriguez, a Donald Trump appointee, said he wanted to ensure more Venezuelans weren't deported to El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) from southern Texas until at least April 23, because if they were sent there "erroneously" — as happened with Kilmar Abrego García — a "substantial likelihood exists that the individual could not be returned."
"We're confident that people that are there should be there, and they should stay there for the rest of their lives," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday. CBS's "60 Minutes" reported Sunday that 75% of the 238 Venezuelans quietly deported from Texas to CECOT on March 15 had no discoverable criminal records; Bloomberg said Wednesday that about 90% of them had no U.S. criminal record.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said his team was still hoping to get another nationwide injunction but was prepared to "go district by district" to block Alien Enemies Act deportations.
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
X’s location update exposes international troll industryIn the Spotlight Social media platform’s new transparency feature reveals ‘scope and geographical breadth’ of accounts spreading misinformation
-
Tariffs: Will Trump’s reversal lower prices?Feature Retailers may not pass on the savings from tariff reductions to consumers
-
Trump: Is he losing control of MAGA?Feature We may be seeing the ‘first meaningful right-wing rebellion against autocracy of this era’
-
Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein: a TimelineIN DEPTH The alleged relationship between deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump has become one of the most acute threats to the president’s power
-
Why is Donald Trump suddenly interested in Sudan?Today's Big Question A push from Saudi Arabia’s crown prince helped
-
US government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
