The Trump administration has escalated its legal battle over immigration enforcement to the nation's highest court.
According to Fox News, the administration filed a final brief with the Supreme Court on Wednesday, urging justices to overturn lower court rulings that blocked the deportation of Venezuelan nationals under a rarely-used 1798 law.
The case centers on President Trump's attempt to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador. The 225-year-old law has only been invoked three times in U.S. history - during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.
U.S. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris outlined what the administration views as judicial overreach threatening executive authority. The filing argues that district courts have issued over 40 injunctions against the administration in just two months.
The administration's legal team maintains that individual district courts should not have the power to broadly restrict the president from carrying out fundamental duties, regardless of how orders are labeled or their duration.
Plaintiffs opposing the deportations contend that the 1798 law can only be used during formally declared wars or foreign invasions - conditions they argue don't apply to the Venezuelan nationals targeted for removal.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg initially blocked the deportations, followed by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals extending the hold. The administration claims these rulings hamper its ability to protect national security and conduct foreign policy.
Harris emphasized to the Supreme Court:
A single district court cannot broadly disable the President from discharging his most fundamental duties, regardless of the order's label, and irrespective of its duration.
Judge Boasberg criticized the administration for a lack of transparency regarding deportations that occurred the same night he issued his block. Questions remain about whether officials knowingly violated his order to return any departing flights.
The White House has denounced the lower court rulings as unauthorized infringement on presidential authority. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration would seek Supreme Court review to defend constitutional powers.
The D.C. Circuit panel that voted 2-1 to maintain the block focused heavily on due process concerns and potential irreparable harm to deported migrants. The panel included Bush appointee Karen Henderson and Obama appointee Patricia Millett.
The administration requested either a complete vacation of the temporary restraining order or at minimum an administrative stay allowing deportations to continue while the Supreme Court considers the case.
With both sides having submitted their final briefs, the nine Supreme Court justices are now positioned to make a ruling that could significantly impact immigration enforcement powers. The Trump administration's use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan nationals accused of gang ties faces a crucial test before the Supreme Court. The case has highlighted tensions between executive authority and judicial oversight, with lower courts blocking the deportations over due process concerns. The Supreme Court's eventual ruling will determine whether this rare invocation of a 225-year-old law can proceed as part of the administration's immigration enforcement efforts.
