The Department of Justice has requested a week-long delay in returning a group of Venezuelan nationals deported under the Alien Enemies Act to the United States, citing the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela.
Defendants for the Trump administration have been facing a Monday deadline imposed by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg to either “facilitate the return” of the Venezuelan nationals to the U.S. or “otherwise provide them with hearings that satisfy the requirements of due process.” The Venezuelans in question were deported back in March to a megaprison in El Salvador due to their alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, before being transferred to Venezuela under a prisoner exchange.
In a last-minute plea on Sunday night, the DOJ said the extension is necessary because the military operation over the weekend has led to “substantial changes” in the country, most notably the arrest of now-former President Nicolas Maduro.
“Over the weekend, the United States apprehended Nicolas Maduro. As a result, the situation on the ground in Venezuela has changed dramatically. Defendants thus need additional time to determine the feasibility of various proposals. Defendants therefore request a 7-day extension to evaluate and determine what remedies are possible,” the one-page court filing said.
Boasberg has yet to respond to the request, though the toppling of Maduro has added a wrinkle to the case that now threatens to drag on even further.
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Maduro, who is now detained in New York City and will appear in court on Monday, was sympathetic toward the alleged gang members’ detention in El Salvador, previously referring to them as “kidnapped brothers” and demanding their return to Venezuela.
With him gone and many of the former detainees since released into the country after the prisoner swap, it is unclear where they are or what their status would now be.
