On April 30, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez issued a 36-page opinion permanently barring the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport Venezuelans it has deemed to be criminals from the Southern District of Texas, finding that the White House’s use of the statute was illegal.

On April 7, 2025, Justice Roberts, in a per curiam opinion, ruled that the Trump administration could appeal and then vacated the Temporary Restraining Orders issued by Judge Boasberg. The opinion held that the detainees are entitled to notice and opportunity to be heard “appropriate to the nature of the case.” Meanwhile, on April 16, Judge Boasberg issued an order finding probable cause to find the Government in criminal contempt.

On April 10, 2025, in an unsigned order, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ordered the government to try to return a Salvadoran national and U.S. permanent resident, Abrego Garcia, whom it had wrongly deported to a terrorist prison in El Salvador. However, the Court also observed that the courts may not have the authority to require the executive branch to return him. After the order, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis attempted to force the administration to communicate its efforts, or lack thereof, to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release. Instead, the administration made an emergency appeal and request for a stay, which the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit quickly and unanimously rejected.

On April 16, 2025, Europol issued a press release discussing a law enforcement action targeting an international organization allegedly engaging in smuggling badly damaged cars from the United States into the European Union and selling them to end customers after superficial repair. The crimes included defrauding the payment of customs duties and the commission of large-scale value-added tax (VAT) fraud, as well as defrauding consumers as to the status of the automobiles.

On April 14, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced the renewal of its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs), mandating U.S. title insurance companies to identify the natural persons behind shell companies used in non-financed acquisitions of residential real estate.

On April 7, 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche issued a memorandum (the “Memorandum”) to all Department of Justice (DOJ) employees, announcing a significant shift in the Department’s digital asset enforcement priorities.[1]

On April 29, 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decided that the Maltese investor citizenship scheme violates EU law and that the acquisition of EU citizenship cannot result from a commercial transaction.[1]

On April 22, 2025, a federal grand jury in Central Islip, New York, returned an indictment, which the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed on April 24, charging a man living in Long Island, New York with lying on his applications for permanent residency and citizenship by concealing his past role as a leader and perpetrator of the genocide in Rwanda.[1]

On April 22, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed a significant reform of the U.S. State Department that would close the Office of Global Criminal Justice (GCJ) and the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO). The proposal will also close the office dealing with refugees and migration.[1]

On April 15, 2025, shortly after a Peruvian court sentenced former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison for money laundering, Brazil granted Ms. Heredia diplomatic asylum.