U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump appointee, said the rarely used law can only be invoked when an "organized, armed force" is entering the United States, rejecting the president's claims that he can use it against alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA). The ruling from Rodriguez offered a historical deep dive into the rarely used statute " used just three times prior in U.S. history, and all during times of war " while parsing terms central to igniting the power.