A federal judge in Texas found on Thursday that President Donald Trump did not meet the necessary criteria to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Tren de Aragua members, dealing a blow to the administration as it attempts to remove criminal illegal immigrants from the country quickly.

The ruling was the first time a judge weighed in on the merits of Trump's invocation of the wartime authority granted in 1798.

The Trump administration, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., ruled, does not "possess the lawful authority under the (Alien Enemies Act), and based on the Proclamation, to detain Venezuelan aliens,