Appeals court won't let Trump resume AEA deportations
President Donald Trump during an Iftar dinner.

President Donald Trump is seen making gestures while speaking at an Iftar dinner in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington on Thursday, March 27, 2025 (Pool via AP).

In Colorado, a federal appeals court has turned down an urgent plea from the Trump administration that aimed to pause a previous court decision. This decision had halted the use of an old wartime law to speed up the removal of Venezuelan migrants with very little notice and almost no proper legal procedure.

A panel of three judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit decided on Tuesday to maintain a temporary restraining order (TRO) set by U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney on April 22. This order prevents the government from deporting individuals in Colorado under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA).

In a two-page order, the panel reasoned that the administration was not entitled to a stay of the TRO because it did not show that leaving the order in place was “likely” to cause the government to suffer “irreparable harm.”

“The government has not made such a showing in this case,” the panel wrote in the brief two-page opinion. “All members of the class are in federal custody. And given the important unresolved issues under the Alien Enemies Act and the ruling of the United States Supreme Court that no one in that proceeding be removed under the AEA until further order of that Court, there is no realistic possibility that the government could remove any member of the class from this country before final expiration of the TRO on May 6, 2025.”

“Accordingly, the emergency motion for a stay is denied,” the order concluded.

The wartime measure has been a focal point for litigation since the administration in March sent 137 migrants to a notorious work prison in El Salvador, apparently without due process, despite a court order instructing the government to return the migrants to the United States.

Federal judges in California, New York, Massachusetts, and Texas — in a case that reached the Supreme Court — have also issued court orders temporarily barring the administration from deportations under the AEA.

Sweeney had expressed doubt that Trump invocation of the AEA was constitutional, finding that the president’s March 15 proclamation was divorced from both facts and law.

You May Also Like

A man purposefully ran over a woman with his vehicle twice, according to the police.

Left: Logan Rogers. Right: Autumn Strickland (Florence Police Department). A man from…

Woman convicted for killing friend in public

A still image capturing the shooting death of Delia Johnson (NYPD). Delia…

Lawsuit alleges Dodge Charger rental with faulty tires caused deadly accident

Background: The U.S. District courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio (Google Maps). Inset: Robert…

Man’s deportation halted by judge using Alien Enemies Act.

President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in the Oval Office of…

Mother reportedly sent her 11-year-old son, who had a brain bleed, to school, according to authorities.

Inset: Annessa Stahlman (Bedford County Prison). Background: Breezewood Proving Grounds in Clearville,…

Trump administration requests court to keep Abrego Garcia documents sealed

President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks in the Oval Office of…

A man allegedly attempted to persuade a co-worker to murder his wife on his behalf, according to the police.

Background: The office building in Carmel, Ind. where Darshan Soni worked (Google…

Fifth Circuit Judge appointed by Trump criticizes Supreme Court

James Ho was sworn in during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on…