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Trump denies signing proclamation to deport Venezuelans

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By Francesca Hangeior

The United States President Donald Trump has debunked reports that he signed a proclamation invoking a 200-year-old law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members who were sent to prison in El Salvador.

His downplaying of his role in the affair came just hours after a federal judge called Trump’s use of the law “incredibly troublesome.”

Last weekend Trump invoked the rare wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport 238 men his administration alleged were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and send them to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.

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In a statement at the time, the White House press secretary wrote that Trump “signed a Proclamation Invoking the Alien Enemies Act” and the document additionally appears in the Federal Register with Trump’s signature on it.

But on Friday, Trump suggested his secretary of state had more to do with the matter, telling reporters: “I don’t know when it was signed because I didn’t sign it. Other people handled it.”

“Marco Rubio has done a great job and he wanted them out and we go along with that,” Trump said.

Earlier in the day a federal judge said that Trump’s use of the little-known law to deport the alleged gang members was “incredibly troublesome.”

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At a hearing on Friday, James Boasberg, the chief judge of the US District Court in Washington, questioned the legality of using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to summarily send the Venezuelan migrants to the prison in El Salvador.

“The policy ramifications of this are incredibly troublesome and problematic and concerning,” Boasberg said.

He noted that the only previous uses of the AEA were “in the War of 1812, World War I and World War II, when there was no question there was a declaration of war and who the enemy was.”

Last weekend Boasberg issued an emergency order against deportation of the Venezuelans and said two flights already in the air needed to turn around.

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The Justice Department has claimed the planes were in international airspace when the judge issued his written order directing them to return and his jurisdiction no longer applied.

The episode earned Trump’s ire and the Republican president called on Tuesday for Boasberg’s impeachment, branding the judge a “troublemaker and agitator.”

Those remarks by Trump drew a rare public rebuke from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts who said “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed suit against the deportations along with other rights groups, noted that even during World War II “people got hearings.”

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“It was not this summary removal,” Gelernt said.

“You have to be able to contest,” he said. “Otherwise anyone could be taken off the street.”

Attorneys for several of the deported Venezuelans have said their clients were not members of the Tren de Aragua gang, had committed no crimes and were targeted only because of their tattoos.

Boasberg meanwhile said at Friday’s hearing that “the government’s not being terribly cooperative at this point but I will get to the bottom of whether they violated my order.”

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Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday before denying signing the proclamation, Trump defended the deportations under the AEA, which was last used during World War II to intern Japanese residents.

“I was told that they went through a very strong vetting process,” Trump said. “This was a bad group… killers, murderers and people that were really bad with the worst records you’ve ever seen.”

The New York Times reported meanwhile that nearly the entire civil rights branch of the Department of Homeland Security was fired on Friday.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties was responsible for oversight of the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration.

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Confusion As Lightning K!lls Young Girl In Benue

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A young girl lost her life after being struck by lightning during a rainfall in Mbaiwen, Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

It was gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the compound of Celina Agbatse, where the victim had gone to fetch water.

As the rain began to fall, she took shelter in front of the house, waiting for it to subside. However, she was struck by a powerful bolt of lightning, suffering fatal injuries.

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Eyewitnesses immediately rushed her to the General Hospital in Adikpo, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Her body has since been deposited in the hospital’s mortuary.

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Veteran Nollywood actress Dupe Jayesimi shares her emotional struggle with childlessness at 60

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…..says no child to celebrate with me on my 60th birthday

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Veteran Nollywood actress, Dupe Jayesimi, has shared her emotional experience of living without her own child at the age of 60.

Speaking on Talk to B, a podcast hosted by her junior colleague, Biola Bayo, the Yoruba film star recounted how she had no child to call her own despite once being married.

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She revealed that she became pregnant during her wedding ceremony but later lost the pregnancy.
“Although I was pregnant when I did my wedding, I had miscarriage weeks after the wedding.”
Following the loss, she explained that her husband began distancing himself from her, even going as far as demarcating their bed with a pillow.
She said she attempted IVF procedures twice in her bid to have a child, but both efforts failed. The actress added that two weeks after she eventually left the marriage, her husband brought another woman who was already pregnant into the house and married her.
Jayesimi further narrated how her desire to adopt a child was discouraged by her mother. Instead, she took on the responsibility of caring for her siblings’ children, supporting many of them through school.

Despite her sacrifices, she said she often felt sidelined when those children were getting married, as she was not given the recognition of a mother figure.

I know how the kids of those who have children celebrate them. But I have no one to celebrate with me.”

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Worshippers attacked while praying in mosque, 12 suspects nabbed

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The Police Command in Kaduna State has nabbed 12 suspects over alleged attack of worshipers during Tahajjud prayers (night prayers).

The Command’s Spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna.

Hassan said, “On March 21, at about 2:00a.m., the police received a distress call from a concerned citizen.

“The citizen reported that a large group of armed hoodlums had mobilised from Malalin Gabas, Tudun Wada, Rafin Guza, and Unguwar Baduko areas to attack worshipers performing Tahajjud prayers at Layin Bilya, Makwa Road, Rigasain Kaduna.

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“Upon receiving the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) led a team of officers, accompanied by the Commander of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to the scene in a bid to apprehend the suspects,” the command’s spokesman said.

He, however, said that before the police team’s arrival, the hoodlums had already stabbed one Usman Mohammad, 23, with a sharp knife.

Hassan said that Mohammad was immediately rushed to the hospital for urgent medical attention, but due to severity of his injuries later succumbed and was confirmed dead by a doctor.

“Subsequently, the police swiftly apprehended 12 suspects, who confessed to have partaken in the attack, and recovered several weapons from them,” he said.

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Hassan said further that investigation was ongoing to uncover the full details of the incident and “ensure justice is served.”

According to him, following the incident, the Command has significantly increased security deployments to strategic areas in the state, particularly around mosques, where such prayers are conducted.

He urged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movements and activities promptly to the police to aid effective crime prevention.

“The command is issuing a stern warning to all miscreants to desist from engaging in these criminal activities as they will face the full weight of the law, if caught,” Hassan said. (Text, excluding headline: NAN

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