Supreme Court Issues Midnight Order to Pause Deportations

The Supreme Court issued a one-paragraph order early Saturday morning requiring the government to halt deportations being carried out under the Alien Enemies Act until a lawsuit concerning the application of that law is decided by the Fifth Circuit. “The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the statement read.

The 7–2 ruling, with Justices Alito and Thomas dissenting, indicates a potentially more skeptical attitude of the court towards the Alien Enemies Act. The court declined earlier this month to halt deportations of Venezuelans under the auspices of the Act.