Chicago – April 20, 2025
The Supreme Court early Saturday morning paused the deportation of immigrants potentially subject to the Alien Enemies Act, freezing action in a fast-developing case involving a group of immigrants in Texas who say the Trump administration was working to remove them.
The court’s brief order drew dissents from conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
Attorneys for the Venezuelans at issue in the case filed an emergency appeal at the high court on Friday, claiming they were at immediate risk of being removed from the country and had not been provided sufficient notice to challenge their deportation.
The court’s brief order on Saturday did not explain the court’s reasoning. The court ordered the Trump administration to respond to the emergency appeal once a federal appeals court in Louisiana takes action in the case.
In the meantime, the court said, “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 Trump administration responded later Saturday, telling the Supreme Court it wants the authority to remove the Venezuelans detained in Texas under laws other than the controversial Alien Enemies Act while the litigation over their potential deportations continues.
