SCOTUS halts deportations of illegals under Alien Enemies Act

The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the Trump administration to pause the deportation of several Venezuelan illegal aliens who’re currently being held in a Texas detention facility.

The administration had sought to deport the illegal aliens, all of whom are suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, by applying the Alien Enemies Act, but then the American Civil Liberties Union intervened.

The illegal aliens “ask only that this court preserve the status quo so that proposed class members will not be sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador before the American judicial system can afford them due process,” the ACLU argued in a Supreme Court filing made Friday.

BREAKING: Like a thief in the night.

The US Supreme Court just blocked President Trump from Deporting illegals under the Alien Enemies Act.

Thomas & Alito dissented.

They literally just did this after midnight. This is insane. pic.twitter.com/XeE9QJ99KP

— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) April 19, 2025

The ACLU also argued that the planned deportation of the Venezuelan illegal alien gang members would violate a previous Supreme Court ruling saying that illegals scheduled for deportation via the Alien Enemies Act must first be granted due process.

“The notice the government is providing does not remotely comply with the Supreme Court’s order,” the filing reads. “At a minimum, the notice must be translated into a language that individuals can understand. Most importantly, there must be sufficient time for individuals to seek review. As during World War II, that notice must be at least 30 days in advance of any attempted removal.”

According to NPR, the filing was made after “a group of Venezuelans detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Center [in Texas] was advised that they would be immediately deported.”

In addition, by the end of the day, some of them had reportedly already been loaded onto buses for removal.

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in the ACLU’s favor.

“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 high court ruled early Saturday morning.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. reportedly dissented.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration from deporting foreign nationals under the Alien Enemies Act. Thomas, Alito dissent. pic.twitter.com/SsigpMnPf9

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 19, 2025

The high court also suggested that the Trump administration file a response to the ACLU’s complaints “as soon as possible,” meaning clearly that the court is open to being persuaded to allow the deportations.

All this is the latest in a battle that began when President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 15th invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that allows him to detain and deport citizens of “enemy” nations (i.e., illegal aliens) without any sort of due process.

Trump specifically warned that the Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua has been “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States.”

Therefore, the president stated, any Venezuelan illegal aliens ages 14 or older can be “apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.”

A group of illegal aliens then filed suit, leading to the infamous U.S. District Judge James Boasberg getting involved.

The left-wing judge not only barred the Trump administration from removing any illegals under the Alien Enemies Act but also ordered a then-ongoing deportation flight to be returned to the United States.

Trump admin set for showdown with overstepping judge who gave a deadline and more demands https://t.co/gH7Fa74QH6

— ConservativeLibrarian (@ConserLibrarian) March 18, 2025

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit later turned down a request by the Trump administration to pause Boasberg’s order.

This prompted then-Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris to bring the matter before the Supreme Court. She argued to the justices that this battle “presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security operations in this country – the President . . . or the Judiciary.”

Shortly thereafter on April 7th, the high court ruled in favor of the Trump administration by placing Boasberg’s order on hold.

“It explained that challenges to a designation under the Alien Enemies Act must be brought as a petition for habeas corpus – that is, a challenge to the legality of an individual’s detention – in the place where the detainees are being held (here, northern Texas), rather than in Washington as a challenge under the federal law governing administrative agencies,” according to SCOTUSblog.

However, regarding the deportations of illegals under the Alien Enemies Act, the high court did agree that even they — illegals — deserve due process before being shipped off to wherever.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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