Judge Halts Trump AEA Deportations of Venezuelans

A federal judge in Texas, Fernando Rodriguez Jr., permanently blocked the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, ruling that the AEA only applies during declared wars or genuine invasions, not gang activity. Over 130 Venezuelan nationals had already been deported under this policy before the injunction, which now halts further AEA-based deportations in the Southern District of Texas. The court emphasized that a president cannot unilaterally define or declare a war or invasion to invoke the law and reaffirmed detainees' due process rights. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and the ACLU welcomed the decision and continue to call for the AEA's repeal. The ruling is expected to be appealed and could reach the Supreme Court. Separately, Democratic senators have called for a human rights review in El Salvador, where some deported individuals have reportedly been imprisoned.