The Fifth Circuit Court is the highest court so far to rule against Trump’s use of the law to deport Venezuelan migrants.
A federal appeals court has ruled that the administration of United States President Donald Trump illegally invoked a wartime law to deport Venezuelans as part of its immigration crackdown.
Late on Tuesday, a majority on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expedite deportations without due process.
The decision was remarkable on several fronts. It was the first time a federal appellate court had weighed Trump’s use of the 18th-century law, but it was also a strong rebuke to Trump’s mass deportation campaign from a court with a reputation for leaning conservative.
Writing for the majority on the three-person bench, Judge Leslie Southwick rejected Trump’s claim that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua represented an invasion into the US.
