Venezuela Deportations Blocked for Now by NY, Texas Judges (1)

The Trump administration’s bid to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members was temporarily blocked by judges in New York and Texas, in a pair of cases over the president’s use of a two-century old wartime law.

Federal judges in Manhattan and Brownsville, Texas, ruled Wednesday that the government can’t immediately deport men being held in detention facilities in their regions.

The two latest cases seek to build on a US Supreme Court decision this week. A majority of justices sided with the Trump administration in an earlier dispute, but also explicitly said that detainees facing removal under the Alien Enemies Act had to get notice and an opportunity to challenge their deportations before they’re flown out of the country.

In the New York case, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said Wednesday he will issue an order barring deportations of men held under a March 15 proclamation by President Donald Trump declaring members of the Tren de Aragua gang part of an invasion force against the US.

‘Less Than 10’

It’s not known how many people will be affected by Hellerstein’s order beyond two Venezuelans who are being held in a county jail in Goshen, New York, north of the city. A Justice Department official told Hellerstein only that he estimates “less than 10” are being held in that jail.

In Texas, US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez entered an order on Wednesday pausing the deportation of individuals held at a detention center in Raymondville. It wasn’t clear how many detainees the order would affect, but at a minimum applies to the three men who filed a challenge earlier in the day.

Both orders are set to expire later this month as the judges decide whether to impose longer-term halts on deportations.

The New York case was filed Tuesday and the Texas case Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of three detainees in Texas and two in New York. They’re seeking to represent other Venezuelans accused of membership in Tren de Aragua.

The ACLU claims it’s entitled to contest whether the detainees are gang members and to challenge the president’s use of a statute intended to expel foreign enemies during wartime.

Read More: Supreme Court Lets Trump Seek Deportations Under Wartime Law

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the government could pursue efforts to deport alleged Tren de Aragua members, but required they be given notice they are subject to expulsion under the Alien Enemies Act and an opportunity to have their cases presented to a judge. The court said detainees must file so-called habeas corpus cases in courts where they’re being held.

The Supreme Court intervened in the first case related to efforts to send alleged Tren de Aragua members to a notorious prison in El Salvador last month. US District Judge James Boasberg in Washington had orally ordered planes carrying the Venezuelans to turn around mid-flight, which the government did not do. The judge is now considering whether the government violated his orders.

The cases are G.F.F. v. Trump, 25-cv-2886, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan) and J.A.V. V. Trump, 25-cv-72, US District Court, Southern District of Texas (Brownsville)

(Adds details of rulings starting in fifth paragraph.)

--With assistance from Madlin Mekelburg.

To contact the reporters on this story:
Bob Van Voris in federal court in Manhattan at rvanvoris@bloomberg.net;
Zoe Tillman in Washington at ztillman2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

Anthony Aarons, Peter Blumberg

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Used with permission.