The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urgently petitioned the US Supreme Court to intervene and prevent the deportation of a group of Venezuelan men detained in Texas without the court-ordered judicial review. The ACLU raised concerns that these men, held at the Bluebonnet detention center, were being classified as members of the Tren de Aragua gang and faced imminent deportation under the Alien Enemies Act.

Previously, the ACLU had initiated legal action to block deportations under the 1798 law for two Venezuelans in the same Texas facility. The organization is now seeking broader protection for all affected immigrants in the region. Immigration authorities have reportedly targeted additional Venezuelan men at the detention center as supposed members of the gang, putting them at risk of immediate deportation.

While the Supreme Court has allowed deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, it emphasized the importance of individuals having the opportunity to present their case in court and contest their removal within a reasonable timeframe. Despite court orders in other regions halting such deportations until a fair process is established, no such protection has been extended to detainees at the Bluebonnet facility.

The ACLU’s legal efforts have been met with challenges, as District Judge James Wesley Hendrix declined to block the immediate removal of two men named in the ACLU lawsuit. However, the organization presented sworn declarations from immigration lawyers detailing the urgent deportation threats their clients were facing.

In response to the pressing situation, the ACLU called for emergency court orders to halt the deportations and criticized the reported plan to remove more individuals under the 1798 law, citing concerns about due process and human rights violations. Washington Democrat Pramila Jayapal denounced the Trump administration’s actions, highlighting the need for transparency and adherence to legal safeguards in deportation proceedings.