US supreme court halts deportations of Venezuelans under 1798 wartime law

The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order early Saturday blocking the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members from Texas under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law from 1798.

The court directed the Trump administration to refrain from deporting members of the detainee group until further notice, as legal proceedings over the removals continue.

In a brief order, the court stated that the government is "directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court." The decision comes amid a legal battle over whether the wartime law can be applied in this context, with the justices awaiting action from a lower appeals court.

The case centers on individuals held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a criminal organization linked to violence in Venezuela. The administration is attempting to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport these individuals, but critics argue that the law is being misapplied, as it was historically only used during times of declared war.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the order, reflecting a split within the court’s conservative wing. The detainees' legal team, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argues that the law is being improperly invoked, and is seeking to prevent their deportation to prisons in El Salvador without due process.

This order follows a previous ruling on April 7 that affirmed the detainees' right to challenge their deportations through habeas petitions. The Supreme Court has instructed the government to respond after the appeals court rules on the case.

The controversy has also brought attention to a separate case involving the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, further complicating the broader issue of deportations under wartime legislation.

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