Importance Score: 75 / 100 🔴
US Supreme Court Intervenes in Deportation Case of Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members
In a recent decision, the United States Supreme Court has mandated a temporary halt to the Trump administration’s efforts to deport a group of Venezuelan nationals accused of gang affiliation. This order comes amidst ongoing legal challenges from civil liberties advocates concerning the planned removals of Venezuelans detained in North Texas, based on an archaic wartime statute.
Supreme Court Orders Halt to Removals
The Supreme Court issued an order on Saturday, instructing the government to “not remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court.” This directive effectively pauses the immediate deportation of the Venezuelans in question while legal proceedings continue. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito registered their dissent to the court’s decision.
Invocation of Alien Enemies Act
The Trump administration had employed the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a law enacted during wartime that grants the US President broad authority to detain and deport individuals who are natives or citizens of a designated “enemy” nation, bypassing standard legal procedures. President Trump has specifically accused the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) of “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States.
Deportations and Legal Challenges
According to a senior administration official, as reported by CBS News, 137 of the 261 Venezuelans deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador by April 8 were removed under the Alien Enemies Act. A lower court had previously issued a temporary injunction against these deportations on March 15. While the Supreme Court initially ruled on April 8 that the Alien Enemies Act could be used to deport individuals alleged to be gang members, they stipulated that those facing deportation must have an opportunity to contest their removal.
ACLU Lawsuit and Notice Concerns
The lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which led to the Supreme Court’s Saturday order, argues that the Venezuelan men detained in North Texas received deportation notices written in English, despite being Spanish speakers. Furthermore, the lawsuit contends that they were not informed of their right to challenge their designation in federal court. The ACLU asserted in their legal filing that “Without this Court’s intervention, dozens or hundreds of proposed class members may be removed to a possible life sentence in El Salvador with no real opportunity to contest their designation or removal.”