Federal judge rules Trump cannot use Alien Enemies Act to deport Tren de Aragua terrorists: 'Unlawful'



President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on March 15 invoking the Alien Enemies Act and declaring that Tren de Aragua is "a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization" aligned with the Venezuelan Maduro regime that "is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States."

"I proclaim that all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies," added Trump.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump's invocation of the AEA through the proclamation was "unlawful" and barred the Trump administration from using it against Venezuelan aliens in the court's judicial district.

The administration deported at least 137 Venezuelan aliens under the law on March 15.

'The Proclamation does not suggest that they have done so through an organized armed attack.'

While claiming at the outset that neither "the Court nor the parties question the Executive Branch's authority and responsibility to enforce federal laws," U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. appears to have done just that.

The judge indicated that Trump's March 15 proclamation satisfactorily placed responsibility for Tren de Aragua's actions in the U.S. on the Venezuelan government — precluding the need to determine whether the terrorist gang represents a foreign nation or government. Rodriguez noted, however, that the activities of the terrorist gang inside the U.S. "do not fall within the plain, ordinary meaning of 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion' for the purposes of the AEA."

While Tren de Aragua terrorists might have illegally entered the nation, "harmed lives in the United States and engage in crime, the Proclamation does not suggest that they have done so through an organized armed attack, or that Venezuela has threatened or attempted such an attack through TdA members," wrote the judge.

Rodriguez concluded that "the historical record renders clear that the President's invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute's claims."

While numerous courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have blocked the Trump administration's deportations under the AEA, Rodriguez is reportedly the first judge to have reached a final decision on the merits.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the lawsuit with the ACLU of Texas to keep suspected foreign terrorists from being deported, celebrated the decision.

ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a statement, "Congress never meant for this 18th-century wartime law to be used this way. This is a critically important decision that prevents more people from being sent to the notorious CECOT prison."

Reuters indicated that neither the White House nor the Department of Justice responded to its requests for comment.

On Thursday, Rodriguez also allowed Venezuelans targeted for deportation under the AEA to proceed with a class-action lawsuit against the Trump administration, reported WFIN.com.

"The unusual circumstances of this case present a compelling justification to utilize a procedure equivalent to a class action authorized by Rule 23," wrote Rodriguez.

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Military members swept up in raid of shady club teeming with illegal aliens, MS-13 and TDA gangsters



Hundreds of federal agents descended upon an allegedly illegal nightclub in Colorado Springs early Sunday morning, resulting in the detention of more than 100 illegal aliens.

At around 3:45 a.m., officers with the Drug Enforcement Administration and at least nine other federal agencies raided the club, located inside a strip mall. Prior to forcing their way in, they announced via loudspeaker in both English and Spanish that they had a warrant and demanded that all occupants exit the building in an orderly fashion.

In all, more than 200 people were inside, and 114 were arrested for alleged federal immigration violations, the DEA said. Most of the illegal immigrants came from Central and South American countries, and all are now in ICE custody.

'It’s obviously concerning to have active-duty military involved.'

Jonathan Pullen, the special agent in charge at the DEA Rocky Mountain Division, indicated to reporters that federal and local agencies had spent months investigating a maelstrom of unsavory behaviors going on inside the "underground, illegal" nightclub.

"What was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence," Pullen said. "We seized a number of guns in there."

Pullen also noted that known members of violent gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua were likewise at the club that night, though whether any of them were arrested is unclear.

"Only those here illegally or those on warrants were taken into custody. Most partygoers were eventually released," the DEA noted on social media, along with pictures of several attendees who made questionable clothing choices that night.

"We're not the fashion police," the agency joked.

Active-duty service members were rounded up at the club, however, and some of them even allegedly abetted the illegal activity.

"We had active-duty service members who were running security at the club and involved in some of these crimes," Pullen claimed. "It’s obviously concerning to have active-duty military involved."

Fort Carson, an Army base, is located in Colorado Springs. The Army confirmed that some members had been at the club that night and that it would partner with the DEA in conducting an investigation, ABC News reported.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide additional information at this time," a spokesperson for the Army Criminal Investigations Division told CNN.

Whether any of the service members have actually been arrested or charged with a crime is unclear.

Thankfully, no agents were injured during the raid, though one partygoer apparently sustained life-threatening injuries jumping through a window in an attempt to escape.

'Colorado without question has been a hub for illegal immigration due to the sanctuary policies of the city of Denver.'

President Donald Trump celebrated the news of the raid on Truth Social: "A big Raid last night on some of the worst people illegally in our Country — Drug Dealers, Murderers, and other Violent Criminals, of all shapes and sizes."

Attorney General Pam Bondi likewise expressed satisfaction about the success of the operation: "This morning @DEAHQ apprehended over 100 illegal aliens at an underground night club frequented by Tda and MS-13 terrorists. Cocaine, meth, and pink cocaine was seized. 2 people were also arrested on existing warrants."

State and local officials likewise gave at least tepid support for the enforcement of alleged weapons and drug offenses, though some sidestepped the immigration issues involved.

Colorado Springs Police Department Chief Adrian Vasquez noted that the raid was the result of a "months-long" investigation into "serious criminal activity." "Arrests for these criminal violations are expected," he stated.

Vasquez also emphasized that his department focused solely on "criminal violations affecting the safety of our community" since it "is not authorized to conduct immigration enforcement under Colorado law."

Mayor Yemi Mobolade, who was briefed on the raid before it occurred, was likewise circumspect in his language.

"Let me be clear: Criminal activity of any kind, from anyone, will not be tolerated in Colorado Springs. This investigation and the execution of these warrants are the result of clear evidence of serious criminal conduct," Mobolade said.

A spokesperson said that Colorado Democrat Gov. Jared Polis "is focused on making Colorado safer for everyone, and that includes cracking down on illegal drugs and firearms. We await the details from the DEA and federal government on this action."

Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly touted his office's "support role" in some of the drug and weapons operations, KDVR said, then took aim at the sanctuary policies that have allowed illegal immigration to fester in the state.

"Colorado without question has been a hub for illegal immigration due to the sanctuary policies of the city of Denver in conjunction with radical legislation (including this session) from the State Capitol affirming Colorado’s sanctuary status," Weekly said.

"As the Sheriff of Douglas County, I will do everything I can within Colorado law to support our federal partners. This, in turn, helps keep my community safe."

Mike Moon, who owns the property where the club was operating, by contrast, expressed "shock" at what had apparently been going on under cover of darkness. "It's pretty shocking, considering our political environment and all the news that's happening around the country, that they thought that this was even a wise idea to do something illegal like this," he said.

Moon added that the underground club is a violation of the terms of the lease agreement and that the property does not have a liquor license. However, the apparently derelict tenants were expected to be out of the building by the end of the month anyway.

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‘A saint’: Media turns MS-13 suspect into victim



The MS-13 deportation case in Maryland surrounding illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia has reignited the debate over immigration law — and in the meantime, the media are doing what they do best.

That is, painting the suspected MS-13 gang member as a victim.

Abrego Garcia, 29, was initially deported by the Trump administration, which claimed that he was an MS-13 gang member — and also allegedly violently beat his wife in the past. As President Trump has declared MS-13 a terrorist organization, he’s made it no secret that he plans to deport all members of the gang.

However, the media has been focusing on the positive details in Abrego Garcia’s life, such as being a father.


“As you know, he’s a married father of three,” Pat Gray of “Pat Gray Unleashed” comments sarcastically, noting that the media is portraying him as “a saint.”

“Being a vicious MS-13 gang member, that’s just his night job,” he adds.

Jennifer Vasquez Sura, Albrego Garcia’s wife, even filed a protection order against her husband in 2021. In the filing, Sura alleged that Abrego Garcia repeatedly beat her, saying, “At this point, I am afraid to be close to him. I have multiple photos/videos of how violent he can be and all the bruises he left me.”

When questioned on the protective order by Michael Strahan of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Sura deflected and refused to answer.

But Strahan didn’t press her on it.

“He runs an orphanage for dyslexic, handicapped orphans with ADHD,” Gray jokes. “That’s what I learned from the mainstream media.”

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Trump lashes out at Supreme Court for blocking deportations



The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order early Saturday morning blocking the Trump administration's deportation of suspected foreign terrorists under the Alien Enemies Act. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito alone dissented.

Justice Alito summarized the action thusly: "Literally in the middle of the night, the Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order."

The president and his administration were by recent standards relatively quiet about the ruling — at least until Monday evening when President Donald Trump spoke out about the "ridiculous situation we are in."

'The Courts are intimidated by the Radical Left.'

Trump noted in a Truth Social post, "I'm doing what I was elected to do, remove criminals from our Country, but the Courts don't seem to want me to do that."

"My team is fantastic, doing an incredible job, however, they are being stymied at every turn by even the U.S. Supreme Court, which I have such great respect for, but which seemingly doesn't want me to send violent criminals and terrorists back to Venezuela, or any other Country, for that matter — People that came here illegally!" continued the president. "The Courts are intimidated by the Radical Left who are, 'playing the Ref.' Great Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito correctly wants to dissolve the pause on deportations. He is right on this!"

Trump suggested further that a court-orchestrated failure to eject criminal noncitizens from the homeland poses an existential threat to the country itself.

"We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years," continued Trump. "We would need hundreds of thousands of trials for the hundreds of thousands of Illegals we are sending out of the Country. Such a thing is not possible to do. What a ridiculous situation we are in. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

'We are confident we will ultimately prevail against the onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists.'

In his dissent, which Justice Thomas joined and Trump referenced, Justice Alito noted that:

  • it was not clear whether the Supreme Court had jurisdiction;
  • it was questionable whether "the applicants complied with the general obligation to seek emergency injunctive relief in the District Court before asking for such relief from an appellate court";
  • the majority appears to have violated the high court's own rules in rushing to enter its overnight order;
  • there was nothing concrete to support the claim the Venezuelan nationals were in imminent danger of removal;
  • on the contrary, a Justice Department lawyer told Obama-nominated U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Friday that no deportations were planned for Friday or Saturday; and
  • while his colleagues in the majority provided class-wide relief, the district court never certified a class.

Following the Supreme Court's overnight intervention, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to reverse course and reject the emergency request to block the deportations of suspected foreign terrorists under the AEA.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer said in the government's Saturday filing that the injunction was "unprecedented," and he stressed that "at a minimum, the Court should clarify that its administrative stay order does not preclude the government from removing detainees pursuant to authorities other than the Alien Enemies Act."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on X, "President Trump promised the American people he would use all lawful measures to remove the threat of terrorist illegal aliens, like members of TdA, from our homeland."

Leavitt added, "We are confident we will ultimately prevail against the onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of these terrorist aliens than those of the American people."

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Stephen Miller crushes CNN's Kasie Hunt on law, making her regret flapping her gums



An Obama judge blocked the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg was, however, not fast enough with his verbal order to stop the departure of two planes full of alleged Tren de Aragua and MS-13 terrorists.

Critics in and outside the liberal media were quick to accuse the Trump administration of flouting the judge's order to halt or turn around the planes full of deportees, with some suggesting this supposed defiance was the beginning of a "true constitutional crisis."

CNN's Kasie Hunt, among those who apparently embraced this narrative, debated Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, on Monday about presidential and judicial authority, specifically on whether Boasberg's order was "patently unlawful." The engagement did not go well for the liberal talking head.

Background

President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday, proclaiming that all Venezuelan citizens "14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies."

Democracy Forward and the American Civil Liberties Union quickly filed a lawsuit on behalf of several illegal aliens in an effort to prevent the president from utilizing a law that the generation that drafted the Constitution passed.

"The Trump administration’s intent to use a wartime authority for immigration enforcement is as unprecedented as it is lawless," stated Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project.

Boasberg obliged the leftist groups, issuing an order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from executing deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. Two planes loaded with apparent Tren de Aragua and MS-13 terrorists were, however, already airborne. Boasberg impotently ordered that the planes be redirected to the United States. They both successfully reached their destinations.

The White House press secretary later indicated that the "terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory," and the Obama judge's order was unlawful anyway, as "federal courts generally have no jurisdiction over the President's conduct of foreign affairs, his authorities under the Alien Enemies Act, and his core Article II powers to remove foreign alien terrorists from U.S. soil and repel a declared invasion."

Miller agreed, stating, "The actions of the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Defense were not in conflict with the judge's order. But at the same time, it is also true that the judge's order was patently unlawful. Beyond unlawful, it was an outrageous assault on the Constitution, an outrageous assault on the sovereignty of the nation and on democracy itself."

'Wrong. Look up the statute.'

At the outset of the interview on Monday, Hunt used Miller's previous suggestion that Boasberg's order was "patently unlawful" as a springboard for the following questions: "Does that mean that the administration is ignoring this order? And might you ignore future court orders that meet the criteria you laid out?"

Miller did not take the bait. Instead, he provided the CNN talking head with a lesson about separation of powers and the limits that even activist federal judges face.

— (@)

"The president of the United States and his administration reserve all rights under the Constitution to conduct national security operations in defense of the United States. The Alien Enemies Act, which was passed into law by the founding generation of this country, men like John Adams, was written explicitly to give the president the authority to repel an alien invasion of the United States," said Miller.

'Does a district court judge have the right to direct or enjoin troop movements overseas?'

"That is not something that a district court judge has any authority whatsoever to interfere with, to enjoin, to restrict, or to restrain any way. You can read the law yourself," continued Miller. "There's not one clause in that law that makes it subject to judicial review, let alone district court review."

Hunt countered with the suggestion that "this is how our system works — it starts with these judges," Miller explained the legal term "justiciable," which references whether a case is capable of being decided by a court.

Miller suggested that Trump's exercise of Article II powers to defend the homeland against an invasion or to combat a foreign terrorist threat inside the country as commander in chief is not a matter with which some lesser court can interfere.

"You talk about how the system works," said Miller. "Does a district court judge have the right to direct or enjoin troop movements overseas? Yes or no?"

The flustered talking head desperately tried to avoid answering the question, responding with staccato cadence, "Well, Stephen — my question, I — if you can answer my question first. Is Venezuela — is Venezuela invading our country in a way that would apply this way?"

Miller was more than happy to answer Hunt's question, which spoke to the criteria for an Alien Enemies Act invocation.

After indicating that Tren de Aragua qualifies as an alien enemy force under the 18th-century law, Miller returned to the issue of separation of powers and presidential authority, reiterating that Trump, not some district court judge, identifies and takes action against an alien enemy force under the law.

Evidently immune to humiliation, Hunt kept pressing the issue, suggesting that the Alien Enemies Act requires a declaration of war against a nation or a state, prompting another correction from her guest: "No. Wrong. Look up the statute."

"The statute delineates three criteria for triggering the Alien Enemies Act," continued Miller. "One is an act of war, which, by the way, an invasion is an act of war. But put that aside. One is an invasion, which this is. One is a predatory incursion, which this is. So it actually meets all three statutory criteria. But with respect to this particular statute ... the proclamation is utilizing the incursion and invasion language in the statute."

When finally Hunt appeared to be looking for the thematic exit, Miller provided the CNN talking head with a summary of why he regards Boasberg's order as "patently unlawful," noting, "A district court judge can no more enjoin the expulsion of foreign terrorists to foreign soil than he can direct the movement of Air Force One, than he can direct the movement of an aircraft carrier, than he can direct Marco Rubio to engage in diplomacy or a country."

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‘He’s not going to play around’: How Trump NEEDS to eliminate the cartels



The New York Times has recently released a piece arguing that if President Donald Trump puts a halt to the Mexican drug cartels, it could hurt the American economy.

Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” is now questioning the newspaper’s sanity.

“The New York Times has a concern about the economic impact of Trump’s plan to identify and hold the cartels responsible,” Glenn says, adding, “If you’re in that business, you probably aren’t using a bank.”

However, regardless of what the New York Times believes, Trump is coming for the cartels — and Glenn has an idea of how he should do it.


“He would assign people to make a list of who those terrorists are,” he explains. “Then they’ll give it to the president, and they’ll say, ‘Here’s the case against these guys and this cartel and many other cartels’ and the president will say, ‘What do you recommend?’”

“And they’ll say, ‘We go in at night with our night vision and we kill them all,’ and he says, ‘OK,’ and so then we go in at night, and we kill them all. And in the morning, everybody wakes up surprised ‘cause they’re dead,” Glenn says.

“He’s not going to play around. You are going to see death and destruction of these cartels,” he continues. “He is very clear, ‘I am going to kill the cartels because they’re terrorist operations, and they’re operating here in the United States and causing a lot of pain and suffering, and so I’m going to kill them all.’”

“I mean, he’s designated them terrorist groups,” Stu Burguiere chimes in. “We know what has happened with, you know, Al-Qaeda or whatever. When he designates a terrorist group, it gives us what we consider, and other countries don’t, the legal authority to go in and do these types of things.”

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New Orleans terrorist attack EXPOSES feminine leadership



New Year's Eve is a time for celebration, but unfortunately for those who gathered in New Orleans to do just that, their excitement quickly turned into horror when a crazed man drove his car through a crowd on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.

At least 14 people were killed in the terrorist attack.

Now, the people of New Orleans need strong leadership in the wake of this atrocity, but Jason Whitlock of “Fearless” does not believe they’re getting it.

“When I watched the press conference and saw LaToya Cantrell, I can’t say she inspired a lot of confidence, and neither did the police superintendent, Anne Kirkpatrick,” Whitlock says, adding that Kirkpatrick is a “granny.”

“She’s 64 years old, she grew up in Memphis, she did her postgraduate work in the Pacific Northwest, she was hired as a cop in Oakland, was a finalist to be the top cop in Chicago before she, at age 64, landed the job to oversee the New Orleans Police Department,” Whitlock explains.


However, just six months ago, Kirkpatrick struck two pedestrians with a police vehicle.

Kirkpatrick was joined by Alethea Duncan, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans field office, at the press conference that followed the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack.

“Her claim to fame during this press conference was, the guy has an ISIS flag on his car, and she took to the podium, or took the microphone, and said, ‘This is not a terrorist attack.’ And everybody else is like, ‘Uh, yeah, this is a terrorist attack,’” Whitlock says.

The one thing all these leaders have in common is that they are women — and Whitlock believes that’s the first issue with their response.

“Look, I know many of you dislike me because you think I'm a sexist pig. I’m not a sexist pig; I’m just someone that believes in male leadership because male leadership actually works, and it’s how God designed,” he explains.

“And so anybody that watched these events in New Orleans and saw these three women take the microphone, you weren’t filled with confidence. ... If you were honest with yourself,” he continues, “you weren’t impressed.”

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