In a stunning midnight rebuke that has conservatives fuming, the Supreme Court has halted President Trump’s deportations of dangerous Venezuelan migrants, as Justice Alito blasts the decision as “unprecedented and legally questionable.”
At a Glance
- The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798
- Justice Samuel Alito issued a blistering dissent, calling the court’s action “unprecedented and legally questionable”
- The court made its decision “literally in the middle of the night” without hearing from the opposing party or lower courts
- Conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett surprisingly signed off on the decision
- The ACLU filed the emergency appeal that led to the deportation halt for migrants being held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center
Midnight Court Decision Thwarts Border Security Efforts
The Supreme Court has thrown a wrench into President Trump’s efforts to secure our southern border by temporarily halting the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. In a decision that came down in the dead of night, the high court blocked the administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to expel alleged Venezuelan gang members who pose a threat to American communities. The court’s unsigned order effectively prevents any deportations until the emergency application filed by the American Civil Liberties Union is fully examined, leaving dangerous criminal migrants in our country for the foreseeable future.
This remarkable intervention by the Supreme Court comes at a critical time when the administration is working diligently to address the border crisis that has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to pour into our nation. The Trump administration had invoked the rarely-used Alien Enemies Act – a law dating back to 1798 that allows for the deportation of citizens from hostile nations without a hearing – to begin removing dangerous Venezuelan gang members. The law had previously been used during World War II but has since gathered dust until the current administration recognized its potential for protecting American citizens.
Supreme Court Halts Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act in 7-2 Ruling, Amid Ongoing Tensions
April 19, 2025
In a dramatic late-night decision, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary order on April 19, 2025, halting the Trump administration’s efforts to deport a group of…
— WEB3 (@WEB3WORLDWAR) April 20, 2025
Justice Alito’s Scathing Dissent
Justice Samuel Alito didn’t mince words in his powerful dissent against the court’s decision, which was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. “In sum, literally in the middle of the night, the court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief, without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” wrote Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.
Alito’s dissent highlights the extraordinary nature of the court’s intervention, particularly the timing and process. The emergency application was filed by the ACLU, which claimed the Trump administration planned to deport more Venezuelan migrants with inadequate due process. Yet the court made its decision just eight hours after receiving the application, providing no explanation for its order and bypassing the normal judicial process that would have allowed lower courts to weigh in first.
Conservative Justices Break Ranks
Perhaps most troubling for conservatives is that Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – both Trump appointees – signed off on the decision to halt the deportations “until further order of this court,” according to conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
This unexpected break with conservative colleagues has raised eyebrows and questions about the court’s direction on immigration matters. The decision specifically advised the White House not to remove Venezuelans held in Texas’ Bluebonnet Detention Center until further notice, effectively handcuffing the administration’s ability to remove individuals who may pose serious threats to American communities. The government had argued that detainees were given advance notice to file habeas claims and had agreed not to remove those who did file such claims – facts that make the court’s hasty intervention all the more puzzling.
Implications for Border Security
The Supreme Court’s decision represents yet another obstacle in President Trump’s comprehensive efforts to secure America’s borders and protect citizens from the dangers posed by illegal immigration. The Alien Enemies Act provided a powerful tool to address specific threats from nations like Venezuela, where the Maduro regime maintains hostile relations with the United States while criminal gangs from the country infiltrate American communities. Now, that tool has been temporarily shelved by judicial intervention that occurred without proper deliberation.
As the administration awaits further proceedings on this matter, Americans are left wondering why the Supreme Court would act with such unprecedented haste to block the deportation of individuals who pose potential threats to public safety. The decision signals a concerning willingness by the court to intervene in executive immigration enforcement actions without following standard judicial protocols – and the American people will be the ones bearing the consequences of this judicial overreach.
