Former U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at the judiciary following a court ruling that halted his administration’s efforts to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members under the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act (AEA).
In a fiery post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump questioned the legality of the decision, writing:
“Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from? If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE. This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!”
The criticism comes after U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. — a Trump appointee — ruled that the AEA does not give the president the authority to deport members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a violent Venezuelan criminal group, to a jail in El Salvador. Rodriguez stated that the 1798 law only applies when there is an “organized, armed force” entering the United States.
This decision extends an earlier block and is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for Trump’s immigration agenda. In April, Trump had similarly blamed the courts for hindering his policies following his attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome.
Several other Trump-backed executive actions on immigration have also recently been curtailed or paused by federal courts.
The ruling marks another flashpoint in the ongoing battle between Trump and the judiciary, as the former president ramps up his rhetoric ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
