Overview

• The Trump administration has formally requested the Supreme Court to overturn lower court rulings that blocked the deportation of over 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
• The deportations were justified using the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely invoked 18th-century law originally designed for wartime scenarios.
• U.S. officials claim the deportees are members of the Tren de Aragua gang, designated a terrorist organization, but Venezuela disputes these allegations.
• The deportees remain detained in El Salvador's Cecot prison, a facility criticized for its harsh conditions, as international scrutiny grows.
• The case raises broader questions about executive authority, judicial independence, and the framing of immigration enforcement as a national security issue.