DENVER (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked deportations of immigrants in Colorado who face possible removal under President Donald Trump’s invocation of an 18th century law known as the Alien Enemies Act.
District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney issued the emergency order Monday night after the American Civil Liberties Union requested it on behalf of two Venezuelan men being held in Denver who feared they would be falsely accused of belonging to the gang Tren de Aragua. Trump has contended the gang is invading the United States, but his critics have said he's using the gang as the pretext for an overhyped anti-migrant narrative.
Sweeney’s order temporarily bars removal of all noncitizens who are currently in custody in the District of Colorado and who may be subject to removal under the Alien Enemies Act, which Trump invoked last month. The act has been used only three other times in American history, most recently to intern Japanese-American citizens during World War II.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that anyone being deported under the declaration deserved a hearing in federal court first.
That led federal judges in New York and Texas to place temporary holds on deportations in those areas until Trump's Republican administration presents a procedure for allowing such appeals. Sweeney's order follows in their footsteps.
Sweeney's order is in effect for 14 days, and she has scheduled an April 21 hearing in the case.
President Donald Trump departs after welcoming the 2025 College Football National Champions, the Ohio State University football team, during an event on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
FILE - A member of law enforcement stand near an entrance to an apartment complex during a raid by federal agents Feb. 5, 2025, in east Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Halley's comet swings near Earth every 75 years. But debris left by the comet leads to two major meteor showers every year including the Eta Aquarids.
When this meteor shower lights up the night sky, “you'll know that Earth is crossing the path of the most famous comet,” said Shauna Edson of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
The Eta Aquarids are “pretty fast meteors” said NASA's Bill Cooke.
During Tuesday morning’s peak, expect to see 10 to 15 meteors per hour in ideal viewing conditions, said Cooke.
However, the moon will be nearly two-thirds full, which will likely reduce visibility.
Viewing lasts until May 28. Here’s what to know about the Eta Aquarids and other meteor showers.
As the Earth orbits the sun, several times a year it passes through debris left by passing comets and sometimes asteroids. The source of the Eta Aquarids is debris from Halley's comet.
When these fast-moving space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, the debris encounters new resistance from the air and becomes very hot, eventually burning up.
Sometimes the surrounding air glows briefly, leaving behind a fiery tail — the end of a “shooting star.”
You don’t need special equipment to see the various meteor showers that flash across annually, just a spot away from city lights.
The best time to watch a meteor shower is in the early predawn hours when the moon is low in the sky.
Competing sources of light — such as a bright moon or artificial glow — are the main obstacles to a clear view of meteors. Cloudless nights when the moon wanes smallest are optimal viewing opportunities.
And keep looking up, not down. Your eyes will be better adapted to spot shooting stars if you aren’t checking your phone.
The next major meteor shower, the Southern Delta Aquarids, peaks in late July.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - A Perseid meteor streaks across the sky during the Perseid meteor shower in Vinton, California, Aug. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Kevin Clifford, File)
FILE - A meteor streaks through the sky over Joshua trees and rocks at Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert in this 30-minute time exposure ending at 1:15 a.m. PST, Nov. 17, 1998. Stars moving through the sky as the Earth rotates are seen as a series of short lines across the frame. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)
FILE - This photo provided by NASA shows an Eta Aquarid meteor streaking over northern Georgia on April 29, 2012. (B. Cooke/Marshall Space Flight Center/NASA via AP, File)
