Supreme Court Overturns Judge’s Block on Deportation of Venezuelan Gang Members Under Alien Enemies Act

The Court ruled Judge Boasberg lacked jurisdiction, allowing Trump administration deportations to resume with notice requirements.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

The United States Supreme Court on Monday issued an unsigned order vacating U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s injunctions that had barred the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan nationals identified as members of the Tren de Aragua gang under the Alien Enemies Act.

JUST IN: The Supreme Court has vacated Judge Boasberg's orders barring Trump's removals under the Alien Enemies Act largely over venue — but empahsizes the administration must give "reasonable notice" for targets to challenge their deportations in court. https://t.co/rnhB90af8y pic.twitter.com/FxG9kLDhui

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 7, 2025

Judge Boasberg had granted a temporary restraining order last month halting the removals of thousands of Venezuelans after left-leaning legal organizations, including the ACLU and Democracy Forward, challenged the deportations in a Washington, D.C. court. These organizations argued the removals were unlawful and violated the due process rights of the individuals targeted.

The Supreme Court found that Boasberg lacked jurisdiction to issue the orders. However, the justices emphasized that deportees must still be given “reasonable notice” to challenge their removals in court.

Five justices — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh — agreed to vacate the lower court’s orders. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented. Justice Amy Coney Barrett dissented in part.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Kavanaugh addressed the unanimous understanding among the Court that judicial review must be available. “Importantly, as the Court stresses, the Court’s disagreement with the dissenters is not over whether the detainees receive judicial review of their transfers—all nine Members of the Court agree that judicial review is available,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The only question is where that judicial review should occur.”

He continued, “That venue question turns on whether these transfer claims belong in habeas corpus proceedings or instead may be brought under the Administrative Procedure Act. I agree with the Court’s analysis that the claims must be brought in habeas.”

The Alien Enemies Act, dating to 1798, gives the executive broad authority during times of war or conflict to detain or remove nationals of foreign adversaries.

The Supreme Court’s decision follows a tense week in which Judge Boasberg reportedly signaled he would consider holding members of the Trump administration in contempt over alleged violations of his order. Boasberg had demanded the administration return individuals already deported to El Salvador, drawing sharp criticism from administration officials.

The administration denied violating Boasberg’s orders and said it acted lawfully under statutory authority to remove individuals deemed threats to national security. The court’s ruling now allows the deportations to proceed, provided that adequate legal notice is given to those affected.

The Supreme Court’s ruling may mark a pivotal turning point in the ongoing legal battles over the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration laws under statutory national security powers. The broader legal challenge, however, remains active in lower courts.