Senator Mike Lee has expressed disappointment at an order by a United States federal judge, James Boasberg, temporarily halting efforts by President Donald Trump to quickly deport Venezuelan nationals under rarely used wartime powers intended to resist a foreign invasion.
According to Washington Post, the US District judge also demanded the return of planes already headed to Central America and carrying the Venezuela nationals.
The chief judge in the Columbia District stated that he heard that “flights are actively departing” and directed United States officials to have planes in the air carrying migrants returned to the country, Washington Post reported.
Reacting to the move, Senator Mike Lee said in a post on his official X handle that the judge’s order “isn’t funny”.
The Republican representative lawmaker said, it was “time to file a petition for an extraordinary writ of mandamus”.
DAILY POST reports that Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 against the Venezuelan gangs.
The President argued that the country was facing an invasion from a criminal organization that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion, organized crime and contract killings.