US President Donald Trump on Friday denied signing a proclamation that invoked a 200-year-old law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
This denial came hours after a federal judge criticized the use of the law, calling it “incredibly troublesome.” Last weekend, Trump had used the rare wartime Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport 238 men accused of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The White House initially stated that Trump had signed the proclamation invoking the AEA, and the document appeared in the Federal Register with his signature. However, on Friday, Trump suggested his secretary of state was more involved in the matter, telling reporters, “I don’t know when it was signed because I didn’t sign it. Other people handled it.” He also credited Senator Marco Rubio for pushing for the deportations.
Earlier, Chief Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court in Washington expressed concerns about the legality of using the AEA to deport the Venezuelan migrants. He noted that the law had only been used during wartime, citing previous instances during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.
Last weekend, Boasberg issued an emergency order to halt the deportations, forcing two planes already in flight to turn around. The Justice Department later argued that the planes were in international airspace when the order was issued, meaning the judge’s jurisdiction did not apply.
The deportation efforts sparked a response from Trump, who called for Boasberg’s impeachment, labeling him a “troublemaker and agitator.” This led to a rare rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who argued that impeachment was not an appropriate response to judicial decisions.
Lee Gelernt, a lawyer from the ACLU, which filed a lawsuit against the deportations, pointed out that even during World War II, individuals received hearings before deportation. He emphasized the importance of contesting such actions, warning that without the ability to contest, anyone could be removed from the streets.
Attorneys representing the deported Venezuelans claimed that their clients were not members of the Tren de Aragua gang, had no criminal records, and were targeted only because of their tattoos.
Meanwhile, Trump defended the deportations, claiming that those deported were “killers” with “the worst records you’ve ever seen.” He further suggested that the individuals had gone through a rigorous vetting process.
In related news, nearly the entire civil rights branch of the Department of Homeland Security was fired on Friday. This department was responsible for overseeing the administration’s efforts to curb illegal immigration.
