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A judge limits Trump's ability to deport people under the 18th century Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Saturday blocked the Trump administration from using an 18th century law known as the Alien Enemies Act to deport five Venezuelans, kicking off a blizzard of litigation over the controversial move even before the president has announced it.
President Donald Trump has widely signaled he would invoke the 1798 Act, last used to justify the internment of Japanese-American civilians during World War 2.
On Saturday, the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward filed an extraordinary lawsuit in federal court in Washington contending the order would identify a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as a “predatory incursion” by a foreign government and seek to deport any Venezuelan in the country as a member of that gang, regardless of the facts.
James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the D.C. Circuit, agreed to implement a temporary restraining order preventing the deportation for 14 days under the act of the five Venezuelans who are already in immigration custody and believed they were being moved to be deported. Boasberg said his order was “to preserve the status quo.” Boasberg scheduled a hearing for later in the afternoon to see if his order should be expanded to protect all Venezuelans in the United States.
Hours later, the Trump administration appealed the initial restraining order, contending that halting a presidential act before it has been announced would cripple the executive branch.
If the order were allowed to stand, “district courts would have license to enjoin virtually any urgent national-security action just upon receipt of a complaint,” the Justice Department wrote in its appeal.
It said district courts might then issue temporary restraining orders on actions such as drone strikes, sensitive intelligence operations, or terrorist captures or extraditions. The court “should halt that path in its tracks,” the department argued.
The unusual flurry of litigation highlights the controversy around the Alien Enemies Act, which could give Trump vast power to deport people in the country illegally. It could let him bypass some protections of normal criminal and immigration law. But it would face immediate challenges along the lines of Saturday’s litigation because it has previously only been used during wartime.
The law requires a formal declaration of war before it can be used. But immigration lawyers were alarmed by a flurry of activity Friday night.
“Last night, it appears the government was preparing to deport a number of Venezuelans they had no legal authority to deport,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles who filed two petitions to block deportations that night.
new video loaded: Why Trump’s Feud With the Pope Worries Republicans
By Lisa Lerer, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, Nikolay Nikolov, Edward Vega and Rafaela Balster
May 7, 2026
News
Ted Turner remembered fondly for hosting wet T-shirt college nights after Braves games, like a true hero
CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner died Wednesday at 87. Well, scratch that. Those two labels don’t quite do him justice.
Let me try again: Ted Turner — the founder of CNN, a media mogul, a business tycoon, a world-renowned sailor, the creator of the superstation, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves, and a fierce supporter of wet T-shirt contests — died Wednesday at 87.
Whew. How is THAT for a list of accomplishments to take with you to the pearly gates? Did Ted leave it all out on the field, or what?
Yes, that last one is obviously why I’m here writing about Ted today. I know he was a pioneer in the TV industry. That’s his lasting legacy. But folks forget he was once the owner of the Atlanta Braves (and Hawks), and, more importantly, he used to host “wet T-shirt contests” during college nights at Braves games.
Ted Turner and Jane Fonda are pictured together in New York City circa 1990. (Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images)
That’s right. We used to be a proper country. I say it all the time, but we really did used to have it all, and we just pissed it all away. I grew up in the 1990s when Ted’s TBS “superstation” was all the rage, and I loved it to death. Some of the best days of my life.
But boy, do I wish I could go back to the 1970s and take in a Braves games and then a wet t-shirt contest. Wrong era!
Ted Turner also managed the Braves for one single day
It’s not often that both Clay Travis and Darren Rovell post about the same thing, but here we are.
This is the effect Ted Turner had on folks. People from both sides of the aisle spent yesterday remembering Turner. Some, for his efforts in the media world.
BRAVES SIDELINE REPORTER’S EFFORT TO GET WOMAN’S PHONE NUMBER SPARKS CONTENTIOUS ONLINE DEBATE
Others, of course, for his efforts in bundling Braves games and college wet t-shirt contests. And what an unreal price, too! Fifty cents for general admission to the Braves take on the Cubbies, and then you get to take in a wet t-shirt contest AND a Miller beer party?
From thisgreatgame.com:
“A crowd of 11,451, assumedly mostly male, showed up to watch the rotten Braves (13-24) take on the Chicago Cubs. Or at least that’s what they told their wives and girlfriends. But rain threatened the whole thing; for two hours, everyone sat around—interesting enough, no one left—before the first pitch finally took place.
“Somewhere around the sixth inning, the Braves announced that registration for the contest was under away, to be done in full view of the fans so they can see the pretty girls sign up; it took a while for the first woman to rev up the courage and walk to the table, but once she did, 42 others followed.”
Braves new owner Ted Turner dances with a team ball girl after the Braves ended a 13-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the New York Mets in Atlanta on May 11. (Getty Images)
This Ted Turner was a genius. A true genius. No wonder he was so beloved. All you get nowadays are stupid “Bring Your Dog to the Ballpark” promotions and “Star Wars Night.”
In fact, just to show you how miserable this era is compared to the 70s, the Atlanta Hawks were forced to cancel their “Magic City” promotion earlier this year because the NBA found it to be inappropriate.
And we had Ted Turner hosting wet t-shirt contests on COLLEGE NIGHT after games in the 70s! Again, we had it all, and we just pissed it away.
Anyway, some of Ted’s other feats include temporarily taking over the team for one game in 1977 after firing his manager during a 16-game losing stream (they lost), and later that year loading up the entire team in a yacht so they could watch him compete in the America’s Cup trials in Rhode Island.
For me, I will always remember him for the TBS superstation. Again, that’s my childhood. Turning on a Braves game every night at 7:05 was the best. This is back before streaming, so you didn’t really have access to much. I lived in Florida, so it was either the Marlins or Braves.
Ted Turner, television executive and owner of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks basketball team. (Getty Images)
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Unfortunately, the wet T-shirt contests did NOT make it to the 90s, which is shocking given … they were the 90s.
Oh well. Maybe it’ll come back one day soon. Although, I’m fairly certain the Braves don’t even do the full tomahawk chop anymore because the libs got fake-made about it, so I wouldn’t hold your breath.
RIP.
Federal agents and local police officers conducted several raids at homes and businesses around Los Angeles on Wednesday in a drug enforcement operation that the authorities said was targeting a network of fentanyl and methamphetamine dealers concentrated in the MacArthur Park area near downtown.
The operation resulted in 18 arrests, including two people believed to be the main source of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the park, officials said. Seven other people are being sought. A federal complaint filed Wednesday charges 25 people with possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substance.
The historic 35-acre park, which includes a lake, was once an idyllic haven amid an urban landscape in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, just west of downtown. But it has been troubled in recent years by homelessness and drug and gang activity even as city officials have taken steps to address the issues.
News and police helicopters whirred overhead during an outdoor news conference next to the park as Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, was joined by Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, and Anthony Chrysanthis, the special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field office, in announcing the monthslong investigation that led to the arrests on Wednesday.
“Today’s operation is only one step taken by a handful of agencies working hard to alleviate anguish and the sense of hopelessness plaguing MacArthur Park,” Mr. Chrysanthis said.
Images captured by news helicopters showed D.E.A. agents in tactical gear raiding stores along a busy commercial corridor across the street from the park. Agents served search warrants at six businesses there, Mr. Chrysanthis said. More than 100 Los Angeles police officers participated in the operation, he added.
In court filings, prosecutors accused Mallaly Moreno-Lopez, 31, and her boyfriend, Jackson Tarfur, 28, of Los Angeles, of hand-delivering drugs to the businesses near the park for stashing and later distribution to street dealers. The authorities began their investigation in March, according to court filings.
If convicted, Ms. Moreno-Lopez and Mr. Tarfur face minimum 10-year prison sentences, officials said.
The authorities also raided the couple’s home in South Los Angeles, and the home of Yolanda Iriarte-Avila, 40, who court filings said had supplied Ms. Moreno-Lopez with methamphetamine. Officials said they had seized 40 pounds of fentanyl at Ms. Iriarte-Avila’s home in Calabasas on Wednesday.
The operation at MacArthur Park highlighted larger tensions between the federal government and California’s political leaders, whom the Trump administration has long accused of fostering lawlessness.
Last summer, the city was the scene of a federal show of force led by Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol commander-at-large who was subsequently ousted from the agency. In July, Mr. Bovino led heavily armed immigration agents and National Guard troops in a march across the park in an operation that led to a confrontation between Mr. Bovino and Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles.
At the news conference, Mr. Essayli, an ally of President Trump, was joined by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the former talk show host who now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and has recently embarked on a campaign targeting hospice care fraud in the state.
Both men blamed state and local policies for the conditions at the park. Mr. Essayli opened the news conference by saying, “We’re here today because California policies have failed.”
Mayor Bass and city officials have tried in recent years to clean up the park, exploring the installation of a fence and ramping up the police presence in the area.
“As we work to change MacArthur Park so that it’s safe and clean for families, we have zero tolerance for people who deal deadly drugs and prey on the community,” Mayor Bass said in a statement. “We will continue to aggressively pursue our comprehensive strategy to restore MacArthur Park.”
The mayor, who is running for re-election, also acknowledged the operation when asked about it at a Wednesday evening mayoral debate, and pointed to her plan to hire more police officers.
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