The U.S. Supreme Court has now halted the deportation of all Venezuelans detained in northern Texas under 18th-century military law.
In a brief ruling issued early Saturday, the court ordered the Trump administration not to expel the Venezuelans held at the Bluebonnet detention center “until further direction from the court.”
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The move came in response to an urgent appeal by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which argued that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
In the same brief decision, the court ordered the Trump administration not to expel Venezuelans held at the Bluebonnet center “until further direction from the court.”
Earlier in April, the Supreme Court said deportations could only proceed if those targeted for removal were given an opportunity to present their case in court and were given a “reasonable time” to challenge the pending removal.
“We are very pleased that the court has temporarily halted the removals. These men faced a real risk of spending the rest of their lives in El Salvador's brutal prisons without adequate legal protection,” ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a letter.
Two federal judges declined to intervene Friday as the men's lawyers launched an aggressive legal campaign to prevent their deportation, even though one judge raised legitimate concerns about the case.
On Saturday morning, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals also rejected a request for an order protecting the detainees from deportation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already filed a lawsuit seeking to block the deportation of two Venezuelans held at Bluebonnet Prison and seeking an order barring the removal of any immigrants from the region under the Alien Enemies Act.
In an emergency brief filed early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities are accusing other Venezuelans there of belonging to the Trena de Aragua gang, making them potential targets for President Donald Trump's enforcement of the law.
In US history, this law has been used only three times, most recently during World War II, when it came to the detention of Japanese and American civilians in internment camps.
The Trump administration has argued that this gives it the authority to quickly expel immigrants it deems gang members, regardless of their immigration status.
Following the Supreme Court's unanimous April 9 ruling, federal judges in Colorado, New York and South Texas quickly issued orders blocking the detainees' removal until the administration gave them a chance to file lawsuits.
However, no similar order has been issued in the Texas region encompassing Bluebonnet, which is located 24 miles north of Abilene in the northernmost part of the state.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
