Well, folks, it looks like the Supreme Court has thrown a wrench in the Trump administration’s plans once again. In a 7-2 decision on Friday, the justices ruled against the administration’s efforts to deport Venezuelans they claim are gang members to a sketchy prison in El Salvador. The court sided with a group of Venezuelans who argued that they should have more time to raise legal objections before being shipped off to who-knows-where.
The decision clarified an order issued back in April that put a temporary halt on any deportations of people held in northern Texas. The justices criticized the administration for giving the detainees a measly 24 hours to fight their deportation, calling it a total failure in the due process department. The court basically said, “Hey, we’re not experts on this stuff, so let’s send it back to the appeals court and let them figure it out.”
Now, the whole shebang revolves around the Trump administration’s attempt to use this ancient law called the Alien Enemies Act to kick out Venezuelans they think are part of a gang called Tren de Aragua. The court didn’t dive into the big question of whether the administration can actually use this law to deport people. They just said, “Uh, guys, let’s give these detainees a bit more heads up before we boot them out.” So, it looks like this fight is far from over.
