A federal judge just issued a permanent ban in South Texas on deporting Tren de Aragua terrorist gang members by the Trump administration using the Alien Enemies Act.

Here’s the report from the AP:

A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans from South Texas under an 18th-century wartime law.

U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot be used against people who the Republican administration claims are gang members invading the United States.

“Neither the Court nor the parties question that the Executive Branch can direct the detention and removal of aliens who engage in criminal activity in the United States,” wrote Rodriguez. But, he said, “the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.”

Rodriguez’s ruling is significant because it is the first formal permanent injunction against the administration using the AEA and contends the president is misusing the law.

This comes after the Supreme Court halted it for Tren de Aragua terrorists in Texas as well. So it could be related to that ruling.

The judge in this case was appointed by President Trump.