Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., presiding over the Southern District Court of Texas-Brownsville Division, issued a temporary restraining order in favor of alleged Tren de Aragua member, Daniel Zacarías Matos, who filed a habeas corpus petition to prevent his deportation. This measure comes alongside another order from the District Court of Columbia, which is handling a case against Donald Trump.
Zacarías Matos is currently detained at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas, the same facility from which over 200 Venezuelans were recently deported. This decision applies solely to the individual in question and does not address the others affected by the deportation measures.
The protection offered by Judge Rodriguez differs from the ruling of Judge James Boasberg, who ordered the Trump administration to halt the deportations of Venezuelan migrants until it is determined whether the application of the Alien Enemies Act used for these expulsions is legal.
Zacarías Matos Benefited by Addendum
According to the Justice Department’s criteria, President Donald Trump can unilaterally determine who poses a significant risk to the United States by virtue of his national security powers.
“I hereby find and declare that the TDA is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States,” states Trump’s order in its declaration. The controversy surrounding this measure and the District of Columbia’s decisions have ultimately benefitted Daniel Zacarías Matos.
The Temporary Restraining Order issued by Judge Rodriguez is a precautionary measure intended to prevent the unjust removal of Daniel Enrique Zacarias Matos while his habeas corpus petition remains pending. The judge deemed it crucial to consider that immediate deportation would deprive Daniel Zacarías Matos of the opportunity to litigate his claims and that maintaining the status quo is necessary for adequate judicial review.
Initially, the TRO was set to expire on March 21, 2025, but it has been extended until March 29, 2025. The validity and scope of the temporary restraining order in the case J.G.G. v. Trump appear to be significant factors to consider in this matter.
Temporary Restraining Order
Fernando Rodriguez Jr., Judge of the Southern District Court of Texas-Brownsville Division, issued a temporary restraining order in favor of Daniel Zacarías Matos.
On March 15, 2025, Fernando Rodriguez Jr., judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas-Brownsville Division, issued a temporary restraining order to prevent the immediate transfer or deportation of Daniel Enrique Zacarias Matos, who is currently detained at the El Valle Detention Center in Raymondville, Texas.
The magistrate’s decision sought to maintain the petitioner’s status quo in order for the court to consider his request and to avoid irreparable harm. A hearing was scheduled to evaluate the possible issuance of a preliminary injunction.
The Venezuelan Zacarias Matos was detained in Texas and filed a habeas corpus petition to prevent his deportation, claiming that there is no final removal order in his pending immigration case and that expedited removal mechanisms do not apply to him.
Zacarias Matos alleges that the respondents – Francisco Venegas and other relevant government officials involved in his detention and possible deportation – intend to remove him immediately from the United States. He recalls that there was an attempt at removal on March 14, 2025, which failed due to logistical issues, and that he was informed of the intention to remove him on March 15, 2025.
The petitioner also claims that government agents offered him to sign a voluntary departure order and warned him that if he refused, they would fraudulently sign one in his name.
The magistrate, based on the allegations and a verified declaration from a legal intern, preliminarily determined that Zacarias Matos is in the custody of the respondents; that there is no final removal order issued by an Immigration Court; that his immigration proceedings are pending; that the respondents have attempted to remove him at least once and have communicated their intention to remove him immediately.
The court asserted its power to issue orders even before its jurisdiction is fully established, especially to maintain the status quo when there is potential jurisdiction.
In this regard, Judge Rodriguez determined that the immediate removal of Zacarias Matos would cause immediate and irreparable harm, as it would preclude him from presenting his claims in the Habeas Corpus Petition and that his removal would nullify the court’s consideration of his arguments.
Consequently, the court ordered that the respondents refrain from transferring or relocating Daniel Enrique Zacarias Matos from the El Valle Detention Center and from transporting him outside of Willacy or Cameron counties, Texas, without a court order.
The Temporary Restraining Order was set to expire on March 21, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. A hearing was scheduled for March 19, 2025, to consider the issuance of a preliminary injunction or other forms of emergency relief requested in the Habeas Corpus Petition. The respondents were required to submit their response by March 18, 2025.
Order for Submission of Administrative Record
On March 17, 2025, the Southern District of Texas Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered Francisco Venegas to submit the administrative record of Daniel Enrique Zacarias Matos by noon on March 18, 2025, which must be delivered under seal and with numbered pages.
The court considers that the administrative record is crucial for properly evaluating the arguments presented in Zacarias Matos’ Habeas Corpus petition, as it likely contains relevant information about the case that led to his detention or custody.
Extension of Temporary Restraining Order for Zacarías Matos
On March 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas extended a temporary restraining order preventing the transfer or deportation of Daniel Enrique Zacarias Matos from Texas.
Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. granted the extension since the respondents informed that Zacarias Matos is already protected by a similar order in another case and that they do not oppose the mentioned extension. The scheduled hearing was postponed to allow the respondents to submit their response.
Francisco Venegas and the other respondents requested more time to respond to the emergency preliminary relief petition and to reschedule the hearing initially set for March 19, 2025. They expressed that they did not oppose the motion provided that the current Temporary Restraining Order was extended.
The respondents clarified that Zacarias Matos is subject to a temporary restraining order issued by the District Court of Columbia in the case J.G.G., et al. v. Donald J. Trump, in his capacity as President of the United States, et al., 1:25-cv-00766-JEB. They also assured the court that Zacarias Matos is not “in any immediate danger of deportation or removal” due to the aforementioned temporary restraining order in the J.G.G. case.
The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until March 29, 2025, unless the court orders otherwise. The extension seeks to ensure that “the status quo is maintained until the date of the rescheduled hearing” to consider the issues raised in the Habeas Corpus Petition.