A U.S. district judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration acted unlawfully in invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to detain and deport Venezuelan immigrants. The court determined that the law, which was used to target alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, did not provide the legal authority for such actions under the current circumstances.

The judge emphasized that the Alien Enemies Act is applicable only when the United States is under formal armed attack, a condition that does not exist with respect to Venezuela. Therefore, the administration’s attempt to accelerate deportations of Venezuelan nationals using this law was found to be improper and unsupported by the statute.

President Trump’s administration had used the law in recent months to justify the expedited removal of suspected gang members from Venezuela, citing public safety and national security concerns. The decision marks a legal setback for the White House’s broader immigration enforcement campaign.

Earlier in April, the U.S. Supreme Court also intervened, issuing a temporary order to pause deportations of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang while legal challenges proceeded. That move further compounded scrutiny over the administration’s reliance on historical emergency statutes in modern immigration enforcement.

The ruling casts uncertainty over future efforts to remove Venezuelan nationals under similar legal arguments and underscores the judiciary’s role in checking executive actions involving outdated or narrowly scoped laws. Legal experts suggest the administration will now have to seek alternative legal avenues or legislative backing to proceed with such deportations.

As the case progresses, observers expect continued legal debate over the limits of executive power in immigration and national security contexts, particularly when using laws dating back over two centuries.