The Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed as moot a legal challenge to President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The ruling ends that particular case without deciding whether the administration’s use of the 1798 law was lawful, leaving the broader dispute unresolved.

The challenge concerned migrants held in the Fifth Circuit’s jurisdiction who argued they faced removal under the rarely used wartime-era statute. The Alien Enemies Act allows the president to detain or remove nationals of an enemy country during war or an invasion, and Trump’s reliance on it has prompted several court challenges over its scope and due-process protections.