Another day, another federal court ruling against Trump in an Alien Enemies Act case. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (AEA) can only be used to detain and deport immigrants in the event of a declared war, or an "invasion" or "predatory incursion" perpetrated by a "foreign nation or government." The Trump Administration has been trying to use the AEA as a tool to deport Venezuelan migrants without due process, by claiming they are members of the Tren de Aragua drug gang. Today, Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the Southern District of New York issued a decision ruling that Trump's invocation of the AEA is illegal. It follows similar rulings by district courts in Texas and Colorado, and by Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson of the D.C. Circuit. Multiple earlier court decisions have reached the same conclusion with respect to the meaning of "invasion" in the Constitution.
