The ruling marked the first time a judge weighed in on the merits of Trump's invocation of the wartime authority granted back in 1798.

A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and blocked the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.

It is the first direct ruling against the president’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of alleged gang members.