This Saturday the Supreme Court blocked any deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an18th century wartime law. They decided to direct the Trump administration not to remove anyone held in the detention center until further notice. The high court decided to act in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union because it appeared that immigration authorities were moving to restart removals under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. They had said earlier that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were also given enough time to contest their pending removal. Lawyer, Lee Gelernt, was relieved that this act was temporarily blocked saying that these individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without having had any due process. After two federal judges refused to step in as lawyers for the men, a desperate legal campaign was launched to prevent their deportation. Additionally, the ACLU has already sued to block deportations of two Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet facility and sought an order which demands removal of any immigrants in the region under the Alien Enemies Act. This act has only been used three other times in U.S. history. World War II was the most recent which held Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. As the men were being accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, the Trump's administration contended that the act gave them power to swiftly remove immigrants they identified as members of the gang. Reading about this situation, is a little confusing because there are so many sides and each one has their own reasons as to why they think they are right. I think it will be interesting to see how it is handled, and especially how this will set the tone for the next four years in regard to immigration and boarder control.
For more information on the Subject go to: Supreme Courts blocks, for now, new deportations under Alien Enemies Act
3 comments:
It is insane that the Trump administration just deports who they want without any due process.
Another point that is not always brought up, is that beyond due process, holding prisoners there, since techincally they are still under U.S. custody, breaks several of our own laws on ethical holding of prisoners and possibly the eight amendment. This is coming from National Review, a conservative journal (https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/04/what-the-abrego-garcia-dispute-is-really-about/)
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Trump’s use of an old wartime law to deport Venezuelans from Texas, insisting that detainees must get a fair chance to argue their cases in court first. With so much legal back-and-forth and strong opinions on both sides, will this case set a new standard for how far presidential power can go on immigration?
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