**Supreme Court Decision Pauses Trump Deportation Proceedings**
After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration allowing the use of the Alien Enemies Act for deporting alleged migrant gang members without due process, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has decided to cancel a scheduled Tuesday afternoon hearing on the matter. The Supreme Court’s ruling permits the administration to proceed with deportations, prompting Boasberg to consider converting the temporary restraining order he had previously issued into a more permanent preliminary injunction. This move comes as the judge contemplates whether to hold the administration in contempt for not providing information about the deportation of over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members last month. While Tuesday’s hearing has been called off, the status of the contempt issue remains unaddressed.
In a 5-4 decision on Monday evening, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to resume deportations under the Alien Enemies Act but mandated that detainees must be granted due process to challenge their removal. The Court lifted Boasberg’s temporary restraining order, citing a lack of jurisdiction to address the issue. In response to this ruling, the ACLU, representing several alleged Venezuelan gang members facing deportation to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, filed habeas petitions in the New York district where the detainees are currently held in an effort to contest their removal.
Previously, President Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime authority enabling the deportation of noncitizens with minimal due process, arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua constituted a “hybrid criminal state” infiltrating the United States. Judge Boasberg had temporarily halted the president’s use of this law on March 15, directing the government to halt two flights carrying over 200 alleged Tren de Aragua members destined for El Salvador. When authorities did not comply with the order, the judge threatened the administration with contempt charges.
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer has contributed to this coverage.
