Big Setback for Trump: US Supreme Court Halts President's Deportation of Venezuelans Under Wartime Law

Washington: The Supreme Court of the United States has temporarily stopped the deportation of Venezuelan migrants detained in northern Texas under a centuries-old law. The move came late Saturday after an emergency appeal filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

What Did the Court Say?

In a brief order, the Supreme Court said that no Venezuelan detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Center should be deported “until further order of this court.” However, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito disagreed with the decision.

The ACLU had gone to the top court after lower courts refused to intervene. Earlier this month, the court had said deportations could only happen if those facing removal were given a chance to challenge it in court and enough time to do so.

Why were They Being Deported?

The deportations were being planned under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798—an old wartime law that allows the government to deport citizens of enemy countries during times of conflict.

The Trump administration claimed this law gave them authority to quickly remove immigrants accused of being part of gangs like Tren de Aragua, regardless of their immigration status. This law has rarely been used, it was last invoked during World War II to place Japanese-Americans in internment camps.

READ MORE: What is Trump's 'Lab-Leak' Theory? White House Releases COVID-19 Website Amid Tariff War With China | Republic World

ACLU's Response

ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt welcomed the court's temporary order. In an email statement, he said, "We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process."

The ACLU had earlier sued to stop the deportation of two Venezuelan men from the Bluebonnet facility, and later sought to expand the order to protect all immigrants in the region being targeted under the AEA.

What's Happening at Bluebonnet?

The Bluebonnet Detention Center is located in northern Texas, about 24 miles north of Abilene. According to lawyers, several detainees were served with deportation papers, some of whom were falsely labelled as gang members.

In one such case, immigration lawyer Karene Brown said her Venezuelan client, who only spoke Spanish, was forced to sign English documents accusing him of gang ties. The ACLU submitted similar testimonies from other lawyers, raising concerns that removals could begin as early as Saturday.

Two federal judges on Friday refused to block the deportations, although one of them admitted that the case raised serious concerns. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals also declined to stop the removals.

US District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, said he wouldn't stop the removal of the two named men since the government had submitted sworn statements saying those two would not be deported immediately. He also refused to issue a general order because he claimed that mass deportations under the law hadn’t officially begun yet.

What’s Next?

The Trump administration is likely to return to the Supreme Court to argue for lifting the temporary block. Meanwhile, federal courts in other states like Colorado, New York, and southern Texas have already restricted deportations under the same law until proper legal procedures are followed.