ACLU files emergency lawsuit to stop deportation of Venezuelan man

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WLNE) — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed an emergency petition to stop the removal of a Venezuelan man detained in Rhode Island.

The ACLU’s emergency lawsuit against members of the Trump Administration asked the court to stop the man’s removal under a 200-year-old law, the Alien Enemies Act, recently revived under President Trump.

On Monday, Rhode Island U.S District Court Judge Melissa Dubose ordered federal authorities to give the court 48 hours before removing the Venezuelan man out of the state.

On the same day, the ACLU filed an emergency lawsuit to prevent the man, referred to as G.M.G., from being sent to El Salvador.

According to the lawsuit, G.M.G. came to the United States seeking asylum after fleeing political persecution in Venezuela. Since then, he has been working as a barber in Rhode Island.

Now, under a presidential proclamation referring to the Alien Enemies Act, he has been detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls.

Attorneys claim G.M.G. is being denied due process after he was arrested at his job in March.

However, the Department of Homeland Security says G.M.G. is a member of the foreign terrorist organization, Tren de Aragua, and therefore not eligible for bond.

The lawsuit reads in part quote, “The immigration judge accepted the government’s argument without allowing G.M.G. to testify. However, G.M.G. denies any association with TDA or any other gang. His tattoos are for personal reasons, and he himself fears persecution by the TDA based on his experiences in Venezuela.”

The ACLU is asking a federal judge to block the removal and rule that the government has not provided enough evidence.

The ACLU also filed a temporary restraining order to further pause G.M.G’s removal.

G.M.G.’s next immigration hearing is scheduled for May 15 in Massachusetts.

That hearing is part of the man’s original application for asylum, separate from the current federal action.