Washington:
A federal judge criticized the Trump administration for deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members, comparing their treatment to how Nazis were treated during World War II.
President Donald Trump used an obscure law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, to deport Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador on March 15. The chief judge of the US District Court in Washington issued a restraining order to halt further deportation flights under this law.
The Justice Department is challenging the order, arguing that it infringes on the president’s powers. However, the judge’s decision was based on the lack of individual court hearings for the deportees.
Lawyers for the deported Venezuelans claim that their clients were wrongly targeted based on tattoos and were not actual gang members. The judge pointed out that even Nazis had more rights under the Alien Enemies Act than the deportees did.
The court hearing raised concerns about the potential constitutional crisis if the administration ignores the order. The case has also drawn attention to the Trump administration’s use of the AEA to bypass immigration proceedings and send individuals to countries like El Salvador.
– ‘Disappeared‘ –
The ACLU, which filed the lawsuit against the deportations, argued that the deportees were essentially being “disappeared” by sending them to dangerous prisons without due process.
The district court judge emphasized the need for individualized hearings for migrants facing potential deportation under the AEA. Trump’s public criticism of the judge and calls for impeachment have added to the contentious nature of the case.
Legal experts are closely monitoring the situation to see if the administration will comply with the court order or trigger a constitutional crisis. The Justice Department’s plans to deport alleged gang members to Chile further highlight the controversial use of the AEA.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
