Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court To Lift Order Blocking Deportation Of Venezuelan Migrants To El Salvador

The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to lift an order blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under a rarely used wartime law, as a legal battle over the policy continues, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

The emergency appeal comes after the federal appeals court in Washington rejected the administration’s request to proceed with the deportations. In a 2-1 ruling, the appellate judges upheld a temporary order prohibiting the use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law last invoked during World War II.

The Justice Department argued that courts should not interfere with diplomatic negotiations and suggested that detained migrants should challenge their deportations in Texas, where they are being held.

The order blocking the deportations was issued by US District Judge James E. Boasberg, the chief judge of the Washington federal court.

President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act through a presidential proclamation, labelling the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang an “invading force” and justifying the deportation of hundreds of migrants under national security concerns.

ALSO READ: Israel Strikes Beirut for First Time Since Ceasefire With Hezbollah