SCOTUS Rejects Trump’s Excuses, But Will Action Follow?
The Supreme Court issued a late-night decision blocking the Trump administration’s imminent deportation of Venezuelan detainees from a Texas facility to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison. The unsigned opinion sharply criticized the administration for misrepresenting facts, providing insufficient notice of removal (only 24 hours), and attempting to circumvent judicial review by transferring detainees to a foreign country where U.S. courts lacked jurisdiction. The Court rejected the administration’s strategy to avoid class-action lawsuits by promising different treatment for named plaintiffs, highlighting its frustration with efforts to evade due process. This decision, while impacting the Fifth Circuit, effectively halts further removals under the Alien Enemies Act nationwide until further judicial review.
John Q. Hosedrinker