The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order Monday vacating a federal district court judge’s ruling blocking the Trump administration’s deportation of suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang.
On March 15, Washington-based U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg (who was appointed by President Barack Obama) imposed a temporary injunction stopping the removal of alleged Tren de Aragua gang members by the Trump administration under the provision of the Alien Enemies Act, The New York Times reported.
On March 26, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Boasberg’s order, 2-1.
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a per curiam, unsigned order affirming the Trump administration’s authority to remove the illegal aliens.
The court also said “that the detainees subject to removal orders under the AEA are entitled to notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal. The only question is which court will resolve that challenge.”
The justices held that the case at issue should not have been brought in the District of Columbia but in Texas, where the five plaintiffs in the case had been confined before being removed to a prison in El Salvador.
BREAKING ????
SCOTUS permits the Trump Administration to continue to remove Venezuelan nationals who are suspected members of Tren de Aragua from the United States under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. pic.twitter.com/4Mocl4UkB0
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) April 7, 2025
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Elena Kagan, and Kentanji Brown Jackson dissented from the ruling, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining their dissenting opinion, in part.
“Three weeks ago, the Federal Government started sending scores of Venezuelan immigrants detained in the United States to a foreign prison in El Salvador. It did so without any due process of law, under the auspices of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law designed for times of war,” Sotomayor wrote.
“Because the Court should not reward the Government’s efforts to erode the rule of law with discretionary equitable relief, I respectfully dissent,” she added.
Supreme Court rules President Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members.
This is a massive win for Trump and America. pic.twitter.com/KPt3YXpcVG
— Paul A. Szypula ???????? (@Bubblebathgirl) April 7, 2025
President Donald Trump responded to the ruling, posting on Truth Social, “The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself. A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!”
The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself. A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!
Donald Trump Truth Social 04/07/25 07:52 PM
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 7, 2025
The Supreme Court also gave the Trump administration a win on Friday, putting on hold a Massachusetts federal judge’s decision requiring the Department of Education to pay out $65 million in grants that included diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined Kagan, Jackson, and Sotomayor in saying they would have denied the Trump administration’s request to not issue the grants.
Barrett, in that case, sided with the conservative majority.
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