On May 16, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court reasserted that the Trump administration cannot remove from the US alleged Venezuelan gang members who are currently detained in northern Texas under the Alien Enemies Act while they challenge the president’s invocation of the 1798 wartime law.
The Court’s decision extends a pause blocking the removals of nearly 200 Venezuelan migrants detained at the Bluebonnet Detention Center near Abilene, Texas, and bars the administration from using the act to quickly remove a proposed class of migrants. However, Friday’s order does not prevent the government from using other immigration laws to remove eligible detainees, the justices said.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
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