A U.S. federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s use of an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants.
Judge Fernando Rodriguez issued the ruling on Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Brownsville, Texas, in a 36-page decision rejecting the government’s approach.
He ruled that Trump exceeded the limits of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act by targeting Venezuelan migrants for removal.
The administration accused some migrants of being members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, and labeled them terrorists.
President Trump had invoked the wartime law through a mid-March proclamation to authorize rapid deportations.
The ruling permanently blocks deportations under the law within Texas’ Southern District, where many Venezuelans are held.
Rodriguez, a Trump appointee, declared that the proclamation violated the legal scope of the Alien Enemies Act.
He wrote that the gang’s actions in the U.S. do not amount to an “invasion” or “predatory incursion.”
Such terms, he said, are necessary to lawfully apply the act in question.
His verdict is the most sweeping decision against the law’s recent use for immigration enforcement.
Other courts, including in Colorado, had already issued temporary restraining orders on similar deportation efforts.
A Colorado judge ruled that migrants must be given 21 days to challenge deportation orders.
Rodriguez’s ruling affects at least 137 Venezuelan men deported from a Texas facility to El Salvador on March 15.
That deportation occurred immediately after President Trump invoked the 1798 law.
Rodriguez stated clearly that the President’s proclamation lacked statutory authority and violated due process.
He ruled that the executive branch overstepped its constitutional boundaries in applying the law.
This judgment delivers a major blow to President Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown.
White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the action and said the administration would fight the ruling.
Desai claimed Trump’s re-election gave him a strong mandate to remove “terrorist illegal aliens.”
He said the administration would unapologetically use every constitutional tool to enforce immigration laws.
Desai insisted national security remains a top priority for President Trump.
Civil rights groups hailed the ruling as a victory for migrant rights and constitutional protections.
The Justice Department has not confirmed whether it will file an appeal.
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