In the early hours of Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court took urgent action to temporarily stop the deportation of several Venezuelan migrants.
Emergency Appeal Stops Midnight Deportations
The decision came shortly after midnight, following a series of emergency filings from lawyers representing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
These lawyers had acted quickly after learning that some migrants were already being put on buses for deportation. The ACLU argued that these individuals were being sent away without proper notice or a fair chance to defend themselves.
They believed that the U.S. government was using an old law from 1798, originally meant for wartime situations, to deport people without the legal protections normally required.
The Supreme Court did not completely block all deportations under this law. However, it did issue an order saying the government must wait until a lower court has had a chance to decide on the case. The high court also invited the government to respond to the ACLU’s request after the lower court rules.
This sudden action reflects growing concerns about how fast the deportations were happening and whether the migrants were given the opportunity to challenge their removal in court.
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The law being used in these deportations is called the Alien Enemies Act, passed in 1798. This statute grants the president the authority to exclude citizens of hostile countries from the United States during times of war. Historically, it has only been used during wars involving the United States. But now, it’s being applied in a new way.
The current administration says the migrants are members of a dangerous gang called Tren de Aragua, which it considers a terrorist group. This gang originally started in prisons in Venezuela and is accused of crimes like human trafficking and violence. The administration argues that national security gives it the right to deport these people quickly and without a full legal process.
However, lawyers and activists say that even if the law allows deportation, it must be done fairly. They argue that the Supreme Court had already said migrants should be given “reasonable notice” so they can go to court and challenge the deportation.
So far, it is unclear how much notice the government is giving. Some defense lawyers have asked for 30 days to prepare legal challenges. But in many cases, the migrants are receiving short notices, and some refused to sign them.
In one case shared with the court, a migrant received a form saying he was labeled an “alien enemy” and could be removed. The form said he was not allowed to stay in the U.S., but it did not give much detail or allow the person to argue against it.
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Legal Battle Spreads Across Courts
On Friday, the matter escalated to a legal emergency, involving many courtrooms nationwide. ACLU lawyers rushed to file documents in several courts, including the Supreme Court, to stop the deportations.
A judge in Washington, D.C., expressed concern about the fast-moving deportations but said he did not have the legal power to stop them at that time. He referred to an earlier Supreme Court decision from April, which allowed the government to use the Alien Enemies Act, but only with certain limits.
In Texas, lawyers tried to block deportations through a district court and a federal appeals court in New Orleans. When those courts did not respond quickly, the ACLU turned to the Supreme Court.
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The Court’s order came just after midnight, pausing any immediate removals and setting the stage for further legal review. Meanwhile, government officials said they were following the rules set by the Court and declined to reveal details about how they identified the migrants as gang members.
This was not the first time such deportations had taken place. In March, around 130 Venezuelan migrants were deported to El Salvador. Family members and lawyers said many of them were innocent and had no chance to explain their side before being removed, raising concerns that reached the Supreme Court.
The current situation has again drawn the attention of the Supreme Court, as the exact number of people now facing deportation remains unknown. It’s also unclear which countries they will be sent to, though there are reports that some may end up in prisons in Central America.
For now, the Supreme Court’s decision has put a temporary hold on further deportations. The legal battle continues, as courts across the country work to decide whether the government followed proper procedures in using a wartime law to remove migrants.