US Supreme Court puts pause on new deportations of Venezuelans held in Texas

The US Supreme Court temporarily halted the deportation of Venezuelans detained in northern Texas, who were being held under an 18th century wartime statute.

The court issued a brief directive preventing the removal of Venezuelans from the Bluebonnet Detention Centre, with Justices Thomas and Alito dissenting from the decision.

The ACLU filed an emergency appeal, arguing that immigration authorities were attempting to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Supreme Court had previously ruled in April that deportations could proceed only if detainees were given an opportunity for legal representation.

We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process," ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said in an email.

Two federal judges declined to intervene on Friday as legal representatives sought to prevent the deportations. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has yet to respond.

The ACLU had previously filed a lawsuit to prevent the deportation of two Venezuelans at Bluebonnet and requested an order stopping removals under the Alien Enemies Act.

The organisation warned that immigration authorities were labelling Venezuelan men as members of the Tren de Aragua gang, making them subject to President Trump's implementation of the act.

The act has been used three times previously in U.S. history, most recently during World War II for Japanese-American internment. The administration claimed it authorised swift removal of alleged gang members, regardless of immigration status.

Following the April 9 US SC ruling, judges in various jurisdictions issued orders preventing removals under the AEA until proper legal processes were established.

The Bluebonnet facility, situated 24 miles north of Abilene, lacked such an order. Judge Hendrix declined to issue a broader prohibition on removals, stating deportations hadn't commenced.

The ACLU presented declarations from immigration lawyers whose clients at Bluebonnet received documentation identifying them as Tren de Aragua members. Attorney Karene Brown reported that her Spanish-speaking client was pressured to sign English documents.

After unsuccessful attempts with local judges, the ACLU had approached Judge Boasberg in Washington, DC, who expressed sympathy but stated he lacked jurisdiction to intervene.