DeKalb GA News

The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 by President Donald Trump to deport illegal aliens, specifically targeting Venezuelan nationals. This decision resulted from an appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) currently under review by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

According to the Court's unsigned order, deportations of Venezuelans held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas have been paused. The ACLU's petition, representing two Venezuelan men identified as A.A.R.P. and W.M.M., claims that Trump's administration is violating a recent Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. J.G.G., which requires detainees to receive notice and an opportunity to challenge their deportation.

The ACLU argues that the government has provided notices only in English and has failed to inform detainees of their rights for judicial review. Furthermore, some detainees have allegedly been misidentified as gang members.

The Court's decision has impacted individuals detained in the Northern District of Texas, with NBC reporting that the deportation case has been effectively put on hold. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito offered a strong dissent to the majority ruling.

The Court's order states, “There is before the Court an application on behalf of a putative class of detainees seeking an injunction against their removal under the Alien Enemies Act. The matter is currently pending before the Fifth Circuit." It further directs 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.”

President Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the deportation of members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. Trump stated the gang is involved in various criminal activities and posed a threat to the U.S.

The president argued the act allows for the detention and deportation of TdA members, bypassing standard immigration processes. He asserted that due process should not be extended to those who entered the country illegally.

Justices Thomas and Alito dissented from the Court's order, with a statement from Justice Alito to follow.

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