WASHINGTON – A federal appeals court in D.C. appears to be divided on President Donald Trump’s use of a 200-year-old wartime law to deport people allegedly tied to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. 

A D.C. judge has blocked him from using the law for now. A decision is expected soon as time is of the essence for both sides. 

Monday’s argument was about a procedural question, but the court’s decision will determine whether the Trump administration can immediately resume deporting people under a law from 1798 called the Alien Enemies Act. The law gives the president wartime power to detain and deport people in the country who are from an enemy nation. 

Judge Challenges Trump:

Judge Patty Millett, an Obama appointee, pressed the DOJ’s lawyer about using the law now when it was intended for wartime. She said it’s only been used three times in history — the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. 

Millett forcefully questioned whether people who have already been removed — or will be — under this law were given notice and a chance to challenge their association with Tren de Aragua. 

“Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here, when the proclamation required the promulgation of regulations and they had hearing boards before people were removed.” D.C. Circuit Judge Millett said. “I mean, y’all could have picked me up on Saturday and thrown me on a plane thinking I’m a member of Tren de Aragua and say somehow it’s a violation of presidential war powers for me to say, ‘excuse me, no I’m not. I’d like a hearing.’”

The other side:

DOJ lawyers argued that the judge’s order blocking deportations, including ordering planes on their way to El Salvador to turn around, represents an extraordinary intrusion on the president’s powers when it comes to foreign affairs and national security. Typically, the president is at the apex of his constitutional powers when dealing with foreign nations and matters of national security. 

The DOJ’s lawyer seemed to find an empathetic ear from Trump-appointed Judge Justin Walker.

“I’m wondering if you can point me to a district court TRO or injunction that survived an appeal and stopped an ongoing, partially overseas, national security operation in the way that this — at the time at least — did order planes to take foreigners from international waters to the United States,” Walker said.

What’s next:

Monday’s arguments were delivered in front of a three-judge panel made up of Millett, Walker and Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson, appointed by George H.W. Bush, who remained silent. 

Henderson was on the panel that unanimously held that Trump did not have broad presidential immunity before getting overturned by the Supreme Court. She will likely be the deciding vote. 

Cherry blossom season has arrived in Washington, D.C., where pink and white flowers dot thousands of trees around the city as this year’s peak bloom approaches. To celebrate the iconic springtime sight, locals and tourists alike can participate in the National Cherry Blossom Festival, an annual event series that runs for four weeks and features a mix of art, music, food and more.

Originally a gift from Japan to the United States, the capital’s cherry blossoms appear along the Tidal Basin and in parks near several of the capital’s monuments and memorials. 

Images show buds unfurling on cherry trees around the Tidal Basin, where flowering branches create some dazzling views in the foreground of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument. This picture was taken Friday, March 21, when peak bloom had not even arrived yet:

The National Park Service determines the cherry blossoms’ “peak bloom” date by predicting when 70% of the blossoms on the Yoshino cherry trees, which are the most common type of cherry tree planted along the Tidal Basin, will be open. 

Typically, peak bloom occurs between the last week of March and the first week of April, according to the park service, which notes that forecasting the peak is impossible to do more than 10 days ahead of time. The average peak bloom date falls on April 3, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which similarly advises that the exact timing varies from year to year because warmer temperatures can encourage an earlier bloom. 

Peak bloom is expected to happen sooner than the average date in 2025, with the park service estimating it will occur at some point between this Friday, March 28, and next Monday, March 31. The Yoshino trees usually bloom over the course of multiple days.

The park service’s National Mall branch announced Sunday that D.C.’s cherry trees had reached “stage 5 – Puffy white,” which is the final stage before peak bloom.

“The blossoms are starting to show, now we’re just waiting on them to open,” the agency wrote in a social media post. “Peak Bloom is next!”

There are a multitude of opportunities for people to enjoy the cherry blossoms in D.C. before they disappear for the year. The city’s Cherry Blossom Festival offers an extensive lineup of events, which are mostly free and pay homage to the city’s culture and history. 

Held to commemorate the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Tokyo’s then-mayor Yukio Ozaki to Washington, D.C., the festival draws more than 1.5 million to a range of programs, according to its website. The events include a kite festival and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.

Jeff Reinbold, the superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks, said in a statement that instilling community-wide appreciation for the cherry trees is a big part of the festival’s mission.

“The National Park Service takes great pride in the work we do to care for the stars of this festival – the 3,700 cherry trees, which are both natural and cultural treasures of our city and our nation,” Reinbold said. “We encourage all visitors to the Festival to be good stewards of the trees and join us as “cherry blossom protectors” to help us preserve them for future generations and Festivals.”

The Trump administration’s decision to cut two federal programs that provided more than $1 billion in funding is expected to dramatically affect those in need in D.C., especially schools and food banks that purchase food from local farms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture cut $500 million worth of food deliveries, and the shock is affecting people across the country.

“Many times, I’ve needed food to survive from day-to-day, and these food pantries are vital for many, many like me, our survival throughout the day and throughout the week,” said food bank client Steve Hill.

The cut is expected to affect large numbers of people in the District.

One in three people face food insecurity across the region, according to Radha Muthiah, the CEO of Capital Area Food Bank.

“These are our neighbors, these are people you might sit on the same Metrocar with, these are families your kids go to school with, these are neighbors on your block,” she said. “There are over a million individuals in our region who needed support from the food bank.”

Capital Area Food Bank said in a given year, between a quarter and a third of the food they provide to those in need come through USDA programs.

“We anticipate, as an example, another 55 truckloads of food coming in through one of the programs that’s been affected, and we’ve heard so far that half of those truckloads might likely not come through. They’re labeled as ‘returned,”” Muthiah said. “So if that’s the case, that’s 670,000 meals worth of groceries that we now have to pivot and look to other sources.”

To keep up with the demand, Capital Area Food Bank will need to act quickly and pivot to other sources to bridge that gap, including financial supporters and retailers to increase funds and donations.

It’s a swift change many food banks across the country will have to adapt to, affecting those in need nationwide.

“I would love to see one of those that are doing the cutting be in the position to lose everything they’ve got and get into a position where they have to use a food pantry. That would be awesome to see,” Hill said. “Then they’d understand why these programs are so vital, so important.”