Venezuelan Immigrant Lawyers Ask Supreme Court to Continue Blocking White House Deportation Efforts

What Happened?

Lawyers for a group of Venezuelan immigrants filed an emergency request asking for the Supreme Court to block White House efforts to carry out their removal.

In its 18-page 'extraordinary request,' the American Civil Liberties Union filed Monday, seeking more guidance about how they can fight the deportation under the Alien Enemies Act.

The immigrants' attorneys justified the filing amid the Trump administration flying hundreds of alleged gang members to an El Salvador max prison on March 15.

More Venezuelan immigrants were loaded onto buses on April 18.

The ACLU's filing stated,

'Whatever due process may require in this context, it does not allow removing a person to a possible life sentence without trial, in a prison known for torture and other abuse, a mere 24 hours after providing an English-only notice form (not provided to any attorney) that gives no information about the person's right to seek judicial review, much less the process or timeline for doing so.'

The Supreme Court previously allowed for the deportations under the 18th-century wartime law, as long as the migrants get 'reasonable time' to go to court for a hearing.

But the higher court has since changed course, Saturday temporarily blocking the measure from removing the Venezuelans under the act.

In a brief order, the justices directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held 'until further order of this court.'

The ACLU filed an urgent appeal Friday that warned another wave of deportation flights were imminent which led to the higher court decision.

Why it Matters

This comes after a federal judge found probable cause the White House allegedly acted in contempt of court.

U.S. District Judge, James Boasberg, said the Trump administration defied his March order that requested the return of two planes carrying over 200 immigrants to El Salvador.

Five Venezuelan immigrants had reportedly secured emergency relief just hours beforehand.

The White House denied allegations that it engaged in 'a blatant violation' of Boasberg's order.

Judge Boasberg still suggested the actions were sufficient enough to 'conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.'

The group of Venezuelan men and their attorneys filed a lawsuit disputing they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Boasberg said those Venezuelan men were not to be deported until 'a court decides the merits of their challenge.'

The move clashed with President Donald Trump, who called for Boasberg's impeachment.

How it Affects You

The Trump administration has continued to imply that the government had other legal grounds for the deportations.

Boasberg still concludes that the White House defied directives during the time his ruling was in effect.

There may likely be more effort to request declarations from the government.

The growing challenge is for migrants who have already been deported.

It remains unclear what path this sets for future deportation rulings.