Ammon News - The US Supreme Court has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from deporting a group of detained Venezuelan men accused of gang affiliation. The decision came after a lawsuit filed by a civil liberties organisation argued that the detainees, held in Texas, were not given a fair chance to challenge their removal in court.

Former President Donald Trump had authorised their deportation to El Salvador under the rarely used 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which allows the president to detain or deport citizens of nations deemed hostile without standard legal protections. This law has only been invoked three times before, all during wartime.

The administration defended the move, dismissing legal challenges as politically motivated and without merit. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the actions were lawful and criticised those opposing them for prioritising the rights of "terrorist aliens" over US citizens.

The Supreme Court had previously ruled that while the government could proceed with deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, detainees must first be given the opportunity to contest their removal. The ACLU argued that this wasn't happening, noting that some detainees received notices in English despite only speaking Spanish and were unaware of their legal rights.

Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito dissented from the decision to halt deportations. Meanwhile, in a separate high-profile case, the administration admitted to wrongfully deporting a Salvadoran man, Kilmar Ábrego García, though they still claim he is a gang member. The Supreme Court has ordered the government to allow his return, but officials have vowed he will not be permitted to reside in the US again.

As of 8 April, 137 out of 261 deported Venezuelans were removed under the Alien Enemies Act. Legal and political scrutiny of the administration's hard-line immigration policies continues to mount.