Judges take steps to halt deportation of five Venezuelans detained in Texas and New York
The men were identified as belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, a claim their lawyers deny.
ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents.
Two federal judges in New York and Texas took legal action Wednesday to prevent the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans until they can legally defend themselves against the government's move to want to remove them under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, invoked during wartime.
According to AP, Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. signed a temporary restraining order in Texas, while Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said at a hearing in New York that he planned to also sign a temporary restraining order to block the removals while court challenges are pending.
Hellerstein set a hearing for April 22 to decide whether the temporary restraining order he planned to sign Wednesday would become a preliminary injunction.
The men were identified as belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, a claim their lawyers deny.
Three of them are detained in a Texas facility, while two others are being held in a facility in Orange County, New York. One of them is HIV-positive and fears he will not have access to medical care if he is deported.
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