The US Supreme Court has intervened to pause the deportation of Venezuelans linked to alleged gang activity under an antiquated wartime law. The court's decision comes as civil liberties advocates challenge the Trump administration’s use of the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, which has gained attention for being invoked against individuals from Venezuela.
The order was issued recently, demanding that the government "not remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court." Notably, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were recorded dissenting from this ruling.
During President Donald Trump's administration, the use of the Alien Enemies Act was justified by claims that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) posed a threat of invasion or predatory incursion into US territory. According to a senior official's comments to CBS News, 137 of the 261 Venezuelans deported to a controversial mega-jail in El Salvador were sent back under this act.
Earlier, on March 15, a lower court had temporarily blocked the deportations, paving the way for the current legal proceedings. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the lawsuit that resulted in the Supreme Court's latest order, expressed concern that without judicial intervention, "dozens or hundreds of proposed class members may be removed to a possible life sentence in El Salvador with no real opportunity to contest their designation or removal."
As the legal situation unfolds, experts and activists urge for close monitoring to safeguard the rights of those affected by this contentious deportation policy.
