US: Supreme Court halts Trump’s deportation of Venezuelans under wartime law

The US Supreme Court on Saturday issued a temporary halt to the Trump administration’s effort to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members under a rarely used wartime law.

The government quickly urged the justices to lift the order.

The decision followed a petition from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argued that dozens of Venezuelan migrants faced imminent deportation without the judicial review the Court had previously ordered.

In a brief, unsigned decision, the justices directed, “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.”

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Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the ruling, issued around 12:55 a.m. (0455 GMT).

On Saturday afternoon, the Trump administration responded, requesting that the justices lift the temporary stay after reviewing the matter.

The White House emphasized that President Donald Trump would continue his hardline immigration policies but did not signal any immediate defiance of the Supreme Court’s ruling, for now avoiding a constitutional clash between the branches of government.

While the destination of the Venezuelan migrants remains unclear, the Trump administration has already deported over 200 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men, whom it accuses of being gang members, to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Among those deported was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant the administration later admitted was mistakenly removed, sparking criticism of its immigration policies.

Family members and attorneys of the migrants argue that the individuals are not gang members and were not given a fair chance to contest the government’s accusations.

“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,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated.

The case has raised concerns about whether President Trump, who has occasionally defied court decisions since resuming office on January 20, will comply with the limitations set by the Supreme Court.

The Court issued its temporary stay after ACLU lawyers filed urgent requests in multiple courts, including the Supreme Court, following reports that some of the migrants had already been loaded onto buses, allegedly on their way to deportation.

The ACLU claimed that the Trump administration intended to deport these men under a 1798 law that has historically been invoked only during wartime, denying them a meaningful opportunity to challenge their removal — something the Supreme Court had previously ordered.

In a written filing, US Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Court to lift the temporary order, urging that the lower courts should first resolve the “adequacy of notice that designated enemy aliens receive.”

(Reuters)

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