NEW YORK: U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out at the U.S. Supreme Court after it blocked his administration’s effort to swiftly deport Venezuelan immigrants using a wartime law.
“The Supreme Court of the United States is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do,” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “This is a bad and dangerous day for America!”
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to remove a temporary block on deportations of Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA), saying that those affected were not being given enough time to legally challenge their removal.
“The detainees’ interests at stake are accordingly particularly weighty. Under these circumstances, notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal, surely does not pass muster,” the majority wrote in the decision.
Trump claimed the Court “had ruled even the worst murderers, drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally ill who entered the country illegally could not be deported without a lengthy and costly legal process,” which could take years and allow them to “commit many crimes” before appearing in court.
Trump had invoked the AEA in March to deport a first group of alleged Venezuelan gang members to a prison in El Salvador without due process. The Supreme Court intervened on April 19 to temporarily block further deportations, emphasizing the need to ensure due process rights.
The Court’s ruling on Friday extended the pause, blocking the planned deportation of another group of detainees being held in Texas.
Comment