Appeals Court Upholds Deportation Ban Under Alien Enemies Act

The Trump administration requested that Judge James E. Boasberg’s temporary restraining order that was preventing the deportations be overturned by an appeals court.  While the case is still pending, a federal appeals panel on Wednesday denied the Trump administration the authority to summarily deport migrants under a seldom used wartime tool. The government was dealt at least a short-term setback by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s 2-1 ruling.  The issue started when the administration attempted to transfer hundreds of people it claims are members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang to an infamous prison in El Salvador, avoiding immigration court hearings.  The appellate panel emphasized the temporary nature of the prohibition, which the judge ordered to stop deportations until he could hear arguments on their legality, in upholding Boasberg’s order on Wednesday.  In separate judgments, Circuit Judges Karen Henderson and Patricia Millett issued a warning that their rulings should not be interpreted as a definitive ruling on the validity of the Trump administration’s application of the Alien Enemies Act.

Source: The Washington Post