The US Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Venezuelan detainees accused of gang ties, marking another legal setback for the president’s hardline immigration policies.
The case centers on the use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked law that allows the president to detain and deport citizens of “enemy” nations without standard legal processes. The Trump administration has used this law to deport 137 Venezuelans to El Salvador’s maximum-security Cecot prison, where they face indefinite detention.
Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, sued to halt the deportations, arguing that detainees were not given proper notice or a chance to challenge their removal in court. Some received deportation notices only in English, despite speaking only Spanish.
The Supreme Court initially ruled on April 8 that Trump could use the Alien Enemies Act but required that deportees be allowed to contest their cases. However, the latest order pauses all removals while the legal battle continues. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.
The White House dismissed the challenges as “meritless litigation”, insisting the deportations are lawful. “We will not let radical activists prioritize the rights of terrorist aliens over the safety of Americans,” said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
This case follows the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García, an El Salvadoran man accused of MS-13 ties despite no criminal convictions. Though the Supreme Court ordered his return, the administration has refused, vowing he will “never” re-enter the US.
Trump has vowed to “eliminate foreign gangs” from US soil, but critics warn his policies risk due process violations and human rights abuses.
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