The Supreme Court has issued an order temporarily halting the deportation process of alleged Venezuelan gang members currently detained in Texas, amidst ongoing litigation. This directive effectively suspends the Trump administration’s efforts to deport these individuals while the matter is still under legal consideration. The court declined to either approve or reject an application filed on behalf of the detainees but decided to maintain the current situation until further notice.
The ruling specifically instructs the government not to remove any individuals belonging to the identified group of detainees from the United States until a subsequent court order is issued. This decision comes as an appeals court has yet to address a similar request. The order also highlighted that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito opposed the court’s decision.
On the previous day, a charter bus was observed arriving at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, a location approximately 200 miles west of Dallas, where these men are being held. The administration seeks to deport them under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime statute, asserting they are members of the Tren de Aragua gang. There is ongoing debate over whether this law can be applied to gang members when the country is not at war.
The detainees’ attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union have argued for maintaining the current situation to prevent these individuals from being sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador before they receive due process in the United States. The Supreme Court’s order directs the government to respond to the ACLU’s application promptly after the appeals court issues its decision.
This recent action by the Supreme Court follows an earlier ruling on April 7, which emphasized that individuals targeted for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act must be allowed to contest the decision through habeas corpus petitions. The case underscores significant questions about the current administration’s use of presidential authority, particularly regarding the invocation of an 18th-century law typically reserved for wartime. It also raises concerns about the administration’s adherence to court mandates.
In a previous decision, the Supreme Court criticized a Washington judge’s handling of the case but affirmed that plaintiffs have the right to pursue legal action in the districts where they are detained. The decision to overturn the lower court was narrowly decided with a 5-4 vote, where liberal justices were partially supported by conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Meanwhile, litigation persists in a separate case concerning the accidental deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador under the Trump administration. This ongoing legal battle continues to prompt discussions about the administration’s immigration policies and their compliance with judicial orders.
