A federal judge has temporarily blocked deportations of immigrants in Colorado who face possible removal under President Donald Trump’s invocation of an 18th century law known as the Alien Enemies Act.
District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney issued the emergency order Monday night after the American Civil Liberties Union requested it on behalf of two Venezuelan men being held in Denver who feared they would be falsely accused of belonging to the gang Tren de Aragua. Trump has contended the gang is invading the United States, but his critics have said he’s using the gang as the pretext for an overhyped anti-migrant narrative.
Sweeney’s order temporarily bars removal of all noncitizens who are currently in custody in the District of Colorado and who may be subject to removal under the Alien Enemies Act, which Trump invoked last month. The act has been used only three other times in American history, most recently to intern Japanese-American citizens during World War II.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that anyone being deported under the declaration deserved a hearing in federal court first.
That led federal judges in New York and Texas to place temporary holds on deportations in those areas until Trump’s Republican administration presents a procedure for allowing such appeals. Sweeney’s order follows in their footsteps.
Sweeney’s order is in effect for 14 days, and she has scheduled an April 21 hearing in the case.
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