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Trump admin live updates: White House asks court to stay deportation flights TRO

Video shows deportees in El Salvador after a judge ordered flights to stop.

ByKevin Shalvey, Alexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, and William Mansell
Last Updated: March 16, 2025, 5:36 PM EDT

The White House has asked a federal circuit court to stay a district court's temporary restraining orderthat blocked President Donald Trump from using the Alien Enemies act to deport noncitizens, including alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Meanwhile, the fallout over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats voting with Republicans to avert a government shutdown continued, with some in Schumer's party calling for new leadership while others defended him, but said the party needed to use new tactics and new messaging.

And Trump signed an executive order on Saturday that rescinded 19 executive actions issued by former President Joe Biden's administration on gender, labor policies and industry regulations, bringing the number of Biden's actions reversed by Trump to nearly 100.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
Mar 15, 2025, 12:40 PM EDT

Federal judge temporarily blocks deportations of Venezuelans

A federal judge has granted a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from deporting five Venezuelans who have been detained in Texas.

The TRO will be in effect for two weeks.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a suit against the federal government arguing they were moved to detention centers in Texas intended to be "staging facilities to remove Venezuelan men under the [Alien Enemies Act of 1798],"

The organization contended the federal government misidentified the plaintiffs as gang members.

-ABC News' Armando Garcia and Peter Charalambous

Mar 15, 2025, 12:10 PM EDT

Voice of America staff put on administrative leave

Full-time employees at Voice of America received an email this morning from human resources saying they have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a copy of the memo that was obtained ABC News.

This includes members of the VOA team covering the White House who are part of the radio pool.

The email says VOA staffers while on administrative leave are not allowed to access government buildings or systems and must be reachable by personal email and cellphone.

-ABC News' Karen Travers

Mar 15, 2025, 11:49 AM EDT

ACLU sues Trump admin over Alien Enemies Act

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in anticipation of the president invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

Although there has been no announcement of the act being invoked, the lawsuit claims the ACLU and other representing parties have reason to believe the president has invoked "or will imminently invoke" the AEA to speed up the administration's mass deportation goals and target the Tren de Aragua Venezuelan gang.

The ACLU is representing five plaintiffs they believe have been moved to detention centers in Texas intended to be "staging facilities to remove Venezuelan men under the AEA," court documents show.

-ABC News' Armando Garcia

Mar 15, 2025, 11:48 AM EDT

Mike Waltz to meet UAE official at White House next week to discuss technology ties

National security adviser Mike Waltz will meet with his UAE counterpart, national security adviser Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, next week at the White House for meetings, according to National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz listens as he sits next to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, while President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Mar. 13, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

The meetings are intended to focus on the economic and technological ties between the two countries, including conversations regarding purchasing more Nvidia chips from the United States.

It is unclear if Tahnoon will meet the president.

-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh

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