Sam Levine in New York

Ruling only applies in southern Texas district, yet is the most powerful rebuke to Trump’s use of 18th-century law

The 18th-century Alien Enemies Act does not authorize Donald Trump to deport Venezuelan immigrants alleged to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a federal judge in Texas ruled on Thursday.

The ruling from US district judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr is significant because it is the first sweeping and permanent injunction directly addressing whether the government can use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua. Other judges have issued similar but more limited and preliminary rulings.

More than 250 lawyers have left or been reassigned since January as critics fear ‘end of the division as we’ve known it’

More than 250 attorneys in the justice department’s civil rights division have either left, been reassigned, or accepted a buyout offer since January, according to an estimate provided to the Guardian by people familiar with the matter. The significant decrease in personnel underscores how Donald Trump is gutting the arm of the federal government responsible for enforcing federal civil rights laws.