U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines, a Trump appointee in the Western District of Pennsylvania, wrote Tuesday that Trump’s proclamation describes a “predatory incursion” by Tren de Aragua, a group that, she emphasized, the government has deemed a “Foreign Terrorist Organization.” She deferred to Trump’s assertion that TdA acts at the direction of the Venezuelan government. The text of the act says it’s for “[w]henever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government.” He wrote that the terms “invasion” or “predatory incursion” are meant to refer to “an organized, armed force entering the United States to engage in conduct destructive of property and human life in a specific geographical area.” Applying that context to Trump’s proclamation, Rodriguez said that, even when crediting the president’s description of TdA’s activities, they don’t trigger the act.
Author: Jordan Rubin
Published at: 2025-05-13 21:41:31
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