Federal courts curb Trump administration's hardline immigration moves

Two recent federal rulings have stalled key elements of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected the administration’s attempt to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to justify mass detentions and deportations. The court held that allegations of an “invasion” by foreign gangs do not meet the law’s wartime standards and reiterated that large-scale migration is not a military threat. As a result of that decision, deportation operations out of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi were suspended. Judge Andrew Oldham issued a dissent, arguing the majority had overstepped by second-guessing national security judgments. Lower-court judges have repeatedly insisted on legal limits and oversight of executive immigration actions. While the Supreme Court has sometimes ruled in the administration’s favor, several trial and appellate judges continue to enforce statutory and constitutional constraints. In a separate case, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen temporarily blocked the Department of Homeland Security’s effort to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan and Haitian nationals. In a sharply worded order, Judge Chen ...