A federal judge on Friday indefinitely blocked the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund, even as another federal judge earlier this week declined to intervene after the Justice Department said the fund was no longer moving forward.

The court disputes have heightened pressure on the administration to formally dismantle the fund. While Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the fund would not move forward, the settlement agreement and departmental directives that created the fund have not been formally rescinded. Critics argue this leaves open the possibility that the fund could still proceed in the future.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, a Clinton-appointed judge, extended a court order Friday preventing implementation of the fund, concluding that public assurances from administration officials were insufficient to eliminate concerns that it could later be revived.

Brinkema noted how Trump, «says he’s disappointed that something is not going forward,» suggesting this was evidence that the fund may «rear its head» at some point in the future.

JUDGE TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP DOJ’S NEARLY $2B ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND

Over the weekend Trump shared on «Meet the Press» that he’d like to continue with the fund.

«If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve. People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed,» Trump said.

Brinkema gave the Justice Department a week to put in writing that the Anti-Weaponization Fund is being terminated and will not be reinstated.

The ruling comes days after U.S. District Judge Richard Leon rejected a separate request from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) seeking emergency intervention, saying he was willing to rely on Justice Department representations that the fund had effectively been abandoned.

ACTING AG BLANCHE REVEALS FATE OF TRUMP’S ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND’ UNDER PRESSURE FROM HOUSE LAWMAKERS

But Leon, a George W. Bush-appointed judge, simultaneously warned administration officials not to treat his decision as permission to revive the program.

«I give the Justice Department this warning: Don’t play possum with me,» Leon said from the bench.

Blanche announced during a hearing earlier this month that the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which was born out of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit settlement with the IRS, would not be proceeding. The fund was intended to compensate alleged victims of government «lawfare,» but its creation sparked immediate backlash from Democrats, who characterized it as a «slush fund» that could ultimately benefit Trump’s political allies and individuals charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

TRUMP ADMIN PUSHES BACK ON ‘SLUSH FUND’ ATTACKS AGAINST ANTI-WEAPONIZATION FUND AND LAYS OUT WHO QUALIFIES

FILE – Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was directed to obtain a certificate of pardon for Buyer. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Justice Department attorney Andrew Block argued before Leon that Blanche’s congressional testimony effectively mooted CREW’s challenge because the government had publicly committed not to move forward.

Leon repeatedly questioned why Blanche has not formally rescinded a May 18 order that established procedures for the fund in the first place, a question Block could not answer.

CREW attorney Nikhel Sus argued the settlement agreement that established the fund remains legally operative and contains upcoming deadlines requiring action.

WAY HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE: WHY CONGRESS MAY BALK ON $1.7B COMPENSATION FUND

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testifies during a House Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 2, 2026. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

According to Sus, a five-member board overseeing the fund must be established by June 17, while funding transfers are scheduled by July 17.

«On paper, the fund is still a legally operating entity,» Sus argued.

However, Leon ultimately accepted the government’s assurances for now that the fund is moot, but he noted that he can sanction attorneys who make false representations to the court.

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He also indicated he will continue considering CREW’s request for a preliminary injunction and suggested he could intervene if evidence emerges that the administration is attempting to revive the fund.

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, afirmó este viernes en un mensaje que, bajo su dirección, el Comando Sur estadounidense (SOUTHCOM) ejecutó un ataque cinético, rápido y letal en Venezuela que eliminó a Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias el “Niño Guerrero”, líder del Tren de Aragua, organización calificada por el mandatario como “una de las más sanguinarias del planeta”.

“Durante mi campaña, me comprometí a expulsar a estos monstruos de nuestro país y a hacer justicia a las familias de sus víctimas, incluyendo a la pequeña Jocelyn Nungaray, de 12 años, a Laken Reilly, de 22, y a muchísimas otras personas”, afirmó vía Truth Social.

La publicación en redes sociales estuvo acompañada por un video de 10 segundos que muestra una vista aérea de un edificio, con el techo de color verde, rodeado de vegetación poco antes de una explosión que genera una nube de humo. En las imágenes no se distingue claramente a ninguna persona.

El inquilino de la Casa Blanca también señaló que, “con esta acción, las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos han hecho justicia para ellos, sus familias y sus seres queridos”. Recordó que al inicio de su administración designó al Tren de Aragua como Organización Terrorista Extranjera, deportó a miles de criminales y declaró la guerra a los cárteles.

Trump sostuvo que, antes de su regreso al cargo, la administración de Joe Biden “abrió la frontera sur a millones de delincuentes ilegales” y permitió que el grupo cometiera crímenes en territorio estadounidense.

“Esta acción se coordinó estrechamente con nuestros amigos en Venezuela, con quienes mantenemos una excelente relación”, subrayó en relación a los nuevos vínculos entre Washington y Caracas tras la captura, el 3 de enero pasado, del ex dictador venezolano Nicolás Maduro.

Según Trump, los terroristas del cártel “ya no tienen refugio seguro en Venezuela ni en ningún otro lugar” y bajo su liderazgo, Estados Unidos “encontrará a estos despiadados asesinos y narcotraficantes en cualquier momento y lugar”.

El Tren de Aragua surgió como una entidad delictiva entre 2004 y 2005 en la cárcel de Tocorón, en Venezuela. Por entonces, el gobierno de Hugo Chávez había declarado la emergencia carcelaria ante el aumento de la violencia en el sistema penitenciario, pero las medidas no lograron impedir el crecimiento del grupo criminal.

Con el tiempo, los reclusos fueron acumulando poder a través de negociaciones con el régimen de Maduro, el uso de la violencia y el pago de sobornos, lo que derivó en la creación del sistema de pranatos (pranes), líderes dentro de las prisiones. Estos grupos carcelarios se organizaron en estructuras más grandes conocidas como trenes, dando lugar a formas de gobernanza paralelas.

“Niño Guerrero ha estado involucrado en actividades delictivas durante más de dos décadas y ha expandido el Tren de Aragua, transformándolo de una pandilla carcelaria dedicada a la extorsión y el soborno a una organización con creciente influencia en todo el hemisferio occidental. El 11 de julio de 2024 , el Departamento de Estado ofreció una recompensa de hasta 5 millones de dólares por información que condujera al arresto y/o la condena”, sostuvo el Departamento del Tesoro de EEUU en un comunicado de prensa el 17 de julio de 2025.

Entre 2015 y 2018, el Tren de Aragua se consolidó como la mayor de las 19 megabandas delictivas que operaban en Venezuela, lo que contribuyó a que la tasa de homicidios alcanzara niveles récord en el país.

La Fundación TAEDA e IBI Consultants destacaron en un informe conjunto en 2025 que aunque la estructura del Tren de Aragua es vertical y cuenta con líderes claramente definidos, las órdenes y decisiones se transmiten de manera general, permitiendo que cada división territorial las ejecute según su propio criterio.

Esta flexibilidad, junto con la dispersión de la migración venezolana a lo largo de la región y la porosidad de las fronteras de Venezuela y países vecinos tras la pandemia, facilitó que la organización estableciera una red ilegal centrada en el narcotráfico y el tráfico de personas, lo que impulsó su expansión por América Latina a partir de 2018.

El Tren de Aragua se expandió a Perú, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia y otros países de Latinoamérica, generando preocupación entre autoridades, ciudadanía y medios por su versatilidad delictiva y la ambición de controlar múltiples territorios.

Hoy, la organización es considerada una de las bandas criminales extranjeras más poderosas de la región y la que interviene en más actividades ilícitas. Obtiene millones de dólares a través de extorsiones, secuestros, trata de personas, narcotráfico, explotación sexual y asaltos, entre otros delitos.

The Kennedy Center board on Friday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily block a judge’s order requiring references to President Donald Trump’s name to be removed from the institution’s signage and official materials, as signage bearing Trump’s name remained visible on the building’s facade late Friday afternoon.

In an emergency motion filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the board requested both a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay, arguing that physical changes to the building should not occur before appellate judges review the dispute. 

The filing asks the court to issue an administrative stay by 7 p.m. Friday.

Fox News Digital observed Friday afternoon that Trump’s name remained mounted on the Kennedy Center facade as of 5:30 p.m. ET, with scaffolding erected around portions of the signage.

Earlier Friday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper denied the board’s request to pause enforcement of his ruling while the appeal proceeds, finding that the defendants had not demonstrated either a likelihood of success on appeal or irreparable harm.

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The Kennedy Center board argued in its emergency filing that removing and potentially reinstalling signage would force it to incur costs that could not be recovered if it ultimately prevails on appeal.

The board also argued that removing Trump’s name could impair fundraising efforts and create public confusion if the Center’s name changes again following a successful appeal. The motion further contends that the case raises significant questions regarding the board’s authority and whether Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, had standing to bring the lawsuit.

The latest filing stems from Cooper’s May 29 ruling that Congress, not the Kennedy Center board, has authority over the institution’s name. The judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from physical signage, digital materials and official branding and directed the Center to comply within 14 days.

BOARD VOTES KENNEDY CENTER TO BE RENAMED ‘TRUMP-KENNEDY CENTER,’ LEAVITT SAYS

Construction workers build scaffolding near the Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts sign in Washington, D.C., on Friday. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In a lengthy opinion, Cooper wrote that the Kennedy Center’s governing statute «makes crystal clear» that the institution is to be named for President John F. Kennedy and cannot be formally renamed through unilateral board action. 

The judge concluded that Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name and that only Congress can change it.

The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by Beatty, who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board.

Following the May 29 decision, Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said the board intended to appeal.

EXCLUSIVE: TRUMP-LED KENNEDY CENTER NEARLY DOUBLES FUNDRAISING FROM BIDEN ERA, SMASHING RECORD WITH $23M HAUL

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, speaks near scaffolding at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Friday, as construction workers work nearby. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

«We will review the decision carefully though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration — a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,» Daravi told Fox News Digital at the time.

«With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place, and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.»

Beatty praised the ruling, saying in a statement that the Kennedy Center «belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump.»

Trump’s name was added to the venue in December after a unanimous vote of the board. Signage bearing the president’s name was installed above the existing Kennedy Center lettering shortly afterward.

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As of Friday afternoon, the appeals court had not publicly ruled on the emergency request, leaving unresolved whether Trump’s name would remain in place beyond the court-ordered compliance deadline.

The emergency appeal asks the D.C. Circuit to preserve the status quo while it considers the board’s broader appeal of Cooper’s ruling.

The White House and a representative for the Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this reporting.