The United States Supreme Court early Saturday morning blocked President Donald Trump from deporting illegal Venezuelan immigrants who are suspected of being in the brutal gang Tren de Aragua.
Trump promised during his campaign to deport criminal illegal aliens, and has invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to help fulfill that promise. The high court, though, sided with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), arguing that the administration did not give the suspected gang members proper notice.
“Without this Court’s intervention, dozens or hundreds of proposed class members may be removed to a possible life sentence in El Salvador with no real opportunity to contest their designation or removal,” the suit from the ACLU said.
“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 court wrote.
Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito were the only two judges to dissent from the majority opinion.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump could use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members, but said potential deportees must be given a chance to challenge such removal.
The ACLU claims the illegals, who are being detained in Texas, were given notices about their deportation in English, despite one detainee only speaking Spanish, according to a BBC report. The challenge also said the suspected gang members hadn’t been told about their right to contest the decision in court.
The Trump administration says it has already deported 137 suspected Tren de Aragua gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.
The Supreme Court ruled on April 7 that Trump could use the act for such deportations, if he gives proper notice. The case landed at 5-4, with all but Justice Amy Coney Barrett from the court’s conservative wing ruling in the majority. Barrett partially dissented from the majority. The court’s three liberal justices dissented together, according to The New York Times.
The order reversed a lower court ruling from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg. Boasberg temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the Alien Enemies Act in a case involving five Venezuelan nationals, as well as on anyone else who may be affected.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.
Related: GOP Leaders Deny Taxpayer Money For Dems To Make El Salvador Prison Trip
