(Reuters) – A federal judge temporarily blocked the possibility of the US government deporting some Venezuelans, after two non -profit groups filed a lawsuit warning that President Donald Trump could invoke a war law to accelerate the return of undocumented migrants to their countries.
The American Union for Civil Liberties (ACLU) and another non -profit group, Democracy Forward, filed the action on Saturday.
The groups said in the process that the use of the 1798 foreign enemies law was “imminent,” which would be illegal, for it was only “a power invoked in times of war and clearly applies only to war actions.”
Although the court has not ruled on the act of war times, he granted a temporary restriction order, preventing the government from deporting five Venezuelans for 14 days. Aclu said in her process that they are looking for asylum.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Judicial documents show that the government appealed from the judge’s temporary restriction order.
The process noted that the war law had only been used in the 1812 war in the first and world war.
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“Given the urgent circumstances I learned this morning, it was determined that an immediate order is necessary to maintain the status quo until an audience can be marked,” wrote chief judge James Boasberg of the Federal Court of Columbia in his order.
An initial hearing was scheduled for later this Saturday, before the judge, and another hearing was scheduled for Monday.
ACLU and Democracy Forward will ask that the temporary restriction order is expanded to all who are at risk of removal under the law, the groups said in a joint statement.
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During World War II, many Japanese Americans were forcibly detained in concentration camps. The US government formally apologized for actions in 1988 and paid compensation to living victims.
