A federal judge in Texas has struck down the Trump administration’s attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, ruling that such authority cannot be invoked during peacetime without a legitimate military invasion.
At a Glance
- Texas judge invalidates Trump-era use of Alien Enemies Act
- Ruling protects Venezuelan migrants from wartime deportation powers
- Judge says president cannot declare invasions unilaterally
- Decision underscores limits on executive wartime authority
- Class action certified for broader migrant protection
Court Rejects Peacetime Invocation of Wartime Law
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. issued a sweeping opinion in the Southern District of Texas, rejecting the Trump administration’s attempt to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport Venezuelan immigrants. According to The New York Times, Rodriguez ruled that the executive branch cannot apply a wartime statute in the absence of a formal conflict or armed invasion.
In his opinion, Rodriguez wrote that “the President cannot summarily declare that a foreign nation or government has threatened or perpetrated an invasion,” emphasizing that such declarations fall outside the scope of unilateral executive power. He clarified that the term “invasion” under the AEA requires a clear, organized, and hostile military incursion—standards unmet by the administration’s claims involving the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Watch ABC News’ coverage at Texas Judge Blocks Use of Wartime Law for Deportations.
Checks and Balances Reaffirmed
Rodriguez, a Trump appointee, emphasized in his ruling that Congress—not the president—has the constitutional authority to define conditions of wartime legal application. As quoted in ABC News, he stated that allowing the president to self-define such criteria would “strip the courts of their traditional role” in interpreting statutes and enforcing legal limits on executive power.
Civil liberties advocates hailed the ruling. Lee Gelernt of the ACLU called the decision “a critical reaffirmation that the president cannot invoke 18th-century wartime authority during peacetime without oversight.” The ruling not only halts the deportation of the named Venezuelan individuals but also certifies a class that could include thousands similarly situated.
Broader Legal and Political Implications
The Alien Enemies Act has rarely been used in modern times, and its application in this case marked an unprecedented peacetime invocation. As noted in National Review, Rodriguez’s interpretation redefines the act’s scope, narrowing executive discretion in immigration enforcement and setting a judicial precedent.
The decision directly challenges the Trump-era framing of border migration as a form of invasion. The court concluded there was no evidence of an organized military threat and rejected attempts to classify gang activity as a national security invasion under the AEA.
This landmark ruling may prompt further legal challenges to executive immigration orders and wartime authorities invoked in non-war contexts, reinforcing the judiciary’s gatekeeping role in constitutional governance.
