A showdown in federal court in Denver could help shape the legal landscape surrounding deportations as immigrants' rights groups fight the Trump administration in court over a seldom-used 18th-century wartime law.

In the 36 days since President Trump invoked a powerful wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants accused of gang membership, a complex and high-risk legal battle has played out in the federal courts.

U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney questioned government lawyers about why she shouldn’t continue a temporary restraining order in the case of two Venezuelan men being held in Aurora.