• A US federal judge ruled Venezuelans deported to El Salvador must be allowed to contest their removals.
• Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to facilitate legal challenges for the deportees.
• This ruling marks a significant setback for the Trump administration's deportation efforts under the Alien Enemies Act.
• The judge noted evidence suggesting many deported individuals are not connected to the gang they are accused of joining.
• The ruling has sparked ongoing debates regarding the administration's use of wartime laws for immigration enforcement.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that over 100 Venezuelans deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador under an 18th-century wartime law must be provided the chance to challenge their removals. This order mandated the Trump administration to ensure these deportees can file legal challenges, reflecting growing concerns over due process violations in the deportation process, according to HuffPost.

The ruling addresses deportations conducted under the Alien Enemies Act, with Judge Boasberg emphasizing that the migrants had been "plainly deprived" of their rights to contest their deportations. He stated that significant evidence indicated many of these individuals are not involved with the Tren de Aragua gang, as previously alleged by the Trump administration, highlighting concerns over the administration's criteria for deportation, according to Reuters, Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times.

Judge Boasberg required the Trump administration to detail within a week the processes for how deportees could contest their removals, stressing that "constitutional processes must be upheld." He compared the treatment of the deportees to a plot in a Kafka novel, underscoring the lack of justice in their circumstances. The ruling reflects ongoing judicial challenges to the administration’s immigration policies, especially those utilizing wartime statutes for deportation without due process, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera.

The deportations, which took place on March 15, 2024, involved accusations against the deportees being primarily based on anecdotal evidence, such as tattoos, prompting widespread criticism from human rights advocates. This ruling adds to a recent line of legal decisions across various states that have consistently challenged the justification for using the Alien Enemies Act in immigration matters, as reported by TRT Global and India Times.