The US Supreme Court has issued a temporary block on the deportations of Venezuelan migrants, citing wartime law

On Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using a rarely applied wartime rule to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants it claimed were gang members. However, the government pleaded with the justices to reverse their decision.

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union requested that the court step in immediately, arguing that hundreds of Venezuelan migrants were in danger of being deported without the judicial review that the justices had previously mandated. The court then delivered its ruling.

Earlier, the justices issued a succinct, unsigned ruling that stated, “The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.”
The ruling was made at approximately 12:55 a.m. (0455 GMT), and Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito formally dissented from it.

In a Saturday afternoon response, the Trump administration urged the justices to formally deny the ACLU’s request on behalf of the migrants until they have had a chance to further examine the case.

In response, the White House stated that President Donald Trump will continue his immigration crackdown, but it did not immediately suggest that the administration would side with the Supreme Court. This appears to be an attempt to prevent a potential constitutional conflict between the two parts of government.

The destination of the Venezuelan migrants was unknown, but the Trump administration has already deported more than 200 Salvadoran and Venezuelan men it believes are gang members to a maximum-security jail in El Salvador.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an immigrant from El Salvador, was among the deportees. The government acknowledged that his removal was an error, which sparked a backlash against its immigration policies.

Lawyers and relatives of many of the migrants claim they were not gang members and that they were not given the opportunity to refute the government’s claim that they were.

“We are confident in the lawfulness of the Administration’s actions and in ultimately prevailing against an onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of terrorist aliens than those of the American people,” made White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Trump has occasionally demonstrated a tendency to disregard court rulings since taking office again on January 20, so the case has sparked concerns about whether he will adhere to the restrictions imposed by the country’s top court.

BOBS PACKED WITH MEN

Following urgent pleas for fast action in many courts, including the Supreme Court, by ACLU attorneys who revealed that some of the men had already been loaded onto buses and informed they were to be deported, the high court majority issued the stay on Saturday.

Using a 1798 legislation that has previously only been used during times of war, the ACLU claimed that the administration was ready to deport the men without giving them a reasonable chance to challenge their removal, as the Supreme Court had mandated.

D. John Sauer, the U.S. Solicitor General, requested in writing that the court revoke its temporary order stopping the deportations so that lower courts could first decide on the “adequacy of notice that designated enemy aliens receive.”

The court should state in its decision that it “does not preclude the government from removing detainees pursuant to authorities other than the Alien Enemies Act” in order to avoid such action, Sauer said.
Sauer stated that the government gave the detainees “adequate time” to prepare for their deportation, although he did not specify how much time.

In a statement earlier on Saturday, Lee Gelernt, the ACLU’s lead lawyer in the case, stated: “These men were in immediate risk of being imprisoned in a horrifying foreign facility for the rest of their lives without ever having the opportunity to appear in court. We’re glad the Supreme Court hasn’t allowed the administration to take them away like other people did last month.

An audio tape that was shared on TikTok featured multiple males who claimed to be Venezuelans who were detained at the Bluebonnet immigration detention center in Texas after being wrongfully suspected of being gang members. They claimed to have been bussed to a nearby airport late Friday and then driven back.

Reuters has not confirmed if the recording is accurate. On Friday, court documents referenced a previous TikTok post from the same user.

According to the New York Times, two people with knowledge of the matter stated that more than fifty Venezuelans were set to be flown out of the nation, most likely to El Salvador, from the immigration center.

Diover Millan, 24, a Venezuelan who arrived in the United States in 2023, was one of the inmates. His wife, who would not reveal her full name out of concern for reprisals, said that he had no criminal history and had been granted temporary protected status.

According to her, her husband, who was jailed in Atlanta last month, told her, “I’m scared,” She claimed that after one of the officials received a phone call, the bus reversed course and the men were informed that they would be sent to the CECOT prison in El Salvador.

Invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, Trump, who was elected last year on a pledge to crack down on migrants, attempted to expeditiously deport suspected members of Tren de Aragua, a criminal gang that originated in Venezuelan prisons and is classified as a terrorist organization by his government.

Trump and his top advisors have challenged the distribution of power among the branches of government by claiming that their executive power gives them broad control over immigration issues.

When an appeals court postponed District Judge James Boasberg’s threat of contempt charges on Friday, the administration gained one victory.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts previously rebuked Trump for calling for Boasberg’s impeachment after a negative verdict.

CORPUS RELIEF HABEAS

It would be the first deportation of Venezuelans since the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision permitting removals under the 1798 law, with the stipulation that “the notice must be afforded within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief in the proper venue before such removal occurs.”

Habeas corpus relief is the legal right of detainees to contest the validity of their confinement. It is regarded by U.S. law as a fundamental right.

The Supreme Court did not specify the appropriate amount of notice. To offer the migrants a chance to challenge their deportations, attorneys nationwide have requested that they be given 30 days’ notice.

Regarding the scheduled deportations on Friday, Trump stated that he was not aware with the specific issue but added, “If they’re bad people, I would certainly authorize it.”

That’s why I won the election. He informed reporters at the White House that judges were not elected.