The Trump administration responded Tuesday to a judge’s questions about whether it defied a court order, saying it did not and that it used more than just the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members.
Robert Cerna, an acting field office director within Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Judge James Boasberg in an affidavit that one of three planes deporting alleged gang members on Saturday took off after the judge ordered the Trump administration to halt its use of the Alien Enemies Act.
“All individuals on that third plane had Title 8 final removal orders and thus were not removed solely on the basis of the Proclamation at issue,” Cerna said.
Title 8 is a part of the U.S. Code that allows federal authorities to quickly remove certain migrants who cross into the country illegally. The Alien Enemies Act, which Trump invoked in a proclamation on…
