Mirror Review
27 March 2025
A federal appeals court has upheld a decision stopping the Trump administration from using a wartime law to quickly deport Venezuelan migrants. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 to keep a temporary block in place, meaning the government can’t use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for these deportations right now.
This decision means the migrants have a right to challenge claims that they are part of a gang before being deported under this law.
Appeals Court Sides Against Fast Deportations
On Wednesday, the appeals court judges decided to keep a lower court’s order in place, preventing immediate deportations. Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Patricia Millett agreed that the deportations should remain on hold.
Judge Millett said the lower court’s order simply pauses things while important legal questions are looked at more closely later. She also pointed out that if the government was allowed to deport the migrants immediately, their legal case wouldn’t matter anymore.
Judge Henderson noted that this ruling doesn’t stop the government from arresting or holding migrants, but it does prevent them from being sent away to a country they don’t know.
However, Judge Justin Walker disagreed, saying the case should have been handled in Texas where the migrants were being held. He also worried that stopping the deportations could harm important talks with other countries about national security.
Arguments in Court
The Justice Department argued that President Trump was within his rights to order the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, especially since he declared the Tren de Aragua gang an “invading force”.
Lawyers for the Venezuelan migrants, from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argued that the wartime law shouldn’t be used because the U.S. is not at war and hasn’t been invaded by another country. They also said it’s unfair to deport people without giving them a chance to prove they aren’t in a gang.
Reactions and What’s Next
The White House said they will appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, calling the appeals court’s ruling wrong. The ACLU celebrated the ruling as a win for fairness and the right to due process.
Meanwhile, the judge who initially blocked the deportations, James Boasberg, wants to know if the government ignored his order to turn around planes carrying deported individuals. The administration is refusing to give him details, claiming “state secrets privilege“.
Some Trump allies have pushed for Judge Boasberg’s impeachment, but Chief Justice John Roberts defended the judge’s independence.
In conclusion, the appeals court ruled that the Trump administration can’t use this wartime deportation plan at the moment to deport Venezuelan migrants quickly. The court wants to ensure migrants can challenge their deportation. The case is expected to continue and may reach the Supreme Court for a final decision.
