Judge Criticizes U.S. Deportations, Says Nazis Got Better Treatment

• Mar 25, 2025

A U.S. judge has condemned the deportation of Venezuelan migrants under wartime laws, saying even Nazis were treated better.

A U.S. appeals court judge on Monday strongly criticized the Trump administration’s use of an 18th-century wartime law to deport 238 Venezuelans accused of gang ties. Judge Patricia Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said the migrants were denied basic legal protections and compared their treatment to that of Nazi war criminals.

“Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemy Act than has happened here,” Judge Millett said during a tense two-hour hearing.

The Venezuelan migrants were deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the president to expel citizens of a foreign nation deemed a threat. Trump justified the move by claiming that members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were waging “irregular warfare” against the U.S.

Court Battle Over Deportations

The case has sparked a legal battle between the White House and the judiciary. On March 15, federal Judge James Boasberg temporarily blocked the deportations, arguing that those deported had no chance to challenge the allegations against them. Despite the order, the administration proceeded with the deportations, claiming it was too late to turn the planes around.

At Monday’s hearing, government lawyer Drew Ensign defended the deportations, calling Judge Boasberg’s ruling “unprecedented” and insisting that all the deported men had been “carefully vetted” as gang members. However, Judge Millett pushed back, saying there was no proof each person was properly reviewed before being expelled.

“You could’ve picked me up and thrown me on a plane thinking I’m a gang member,” she said, emphasizing the lack of due process.

Criticism and Political Fallout

The deportations have sparked backlash from human rights groups, who argue the law was misused since the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela. Families of some deported men insist they were wrongly accused and had no criminal records in the U.S.

Trump has dismissed the criticism, calling Judge Boasberg a “constitutional disaster” and defending his administration’s actions as necessary to protect Americans. His Attorney General, Pam Bondi, told Fox News that the government was simply fighting “modern-day warfare.”

The appeals court has not yet ruled on the matter, but the controversy has intensified debate over immigration and executive power.