Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself.Ezekiel 29 : 3
Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY
Fri, May 16, 2025 at 11:06 PM GMT+34 min read
WASHINGTON −The Supreme Court on May 16 continued to block the Trump administration from using a 1798 wartime law to deport a group of Venezuelan migrants who said they had not been given a real chance to contest their removal.
In an unsigned opinion with two noted dissents, the court said the migrants haven’t had enough time or information to protect their rights. And that’s particularly important, the court said, because the administration asserts in another case that it’s not able to bring back a man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.
“The detainees’ interests at stake are accordingly particularly weighty,” the majority wrote.
[11] And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. [12] Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, [13] At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.Acts 26 : 11-13
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Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, saying in part that the court didn’t have the authority to weigh in at this stage.
The Supreme Court “is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do.”
President Donald Trump complained on Truth Social that the Supreme Court “is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do.”
As the controversy extends into new fields and the minds of the people are called to God’s downtrodden law, Satan is astir. The power attending the message will only madden those who oppose it. The clergy will put forth almost superhuman efforts to shut away the light lest it should shine upon their flocks. By every means at their command they will endeavor to suppress the discussion of these vital questions. The church appeals to the strong arm of civil power, and, in this work, papists and Protestants unite. As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: “Show us from the word of God our error”—the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God. Thus light will be brought before thousands who otherwise would know nothing of these truths.
Conscientious obedience to the word of God will be treated as rebellion. Blinded by Satan, the parent will exercise harshness and severity toward the believing child; the master or mistress will oppress the commandment-keeping servant. Affection will be alienated; children will be disinherited and driven from home. The words of Paul will be literally fulfilled: “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12. As the defenders of truth refuse to honor the Sunday-sabbath, some of them will be thrust into prison, some will be exiled, some will be treated as slaves. To human wisdom all this now seems impossible; but as the restraining Spirit of God shall be withdrawn from men, and they shall be under the control of Satan, who hates the divine precepts, there will be strange developments. The heart can be very cruel when God’s fear and love are removed. GC 607.1 – GC 608.1
More: Called out by Trump for how he leads the Supreme Court, John Roberts is fine keeping a low profile
Alien Enemies Act dead for the time being
Stephen Vladeck, a law professor at Georgetown University, called the order “quietly significant.”
He said the Alien Enemies Act is now dead until the Supreme Court says otherwise. Plus, Vladeck said the order shows the court’s reluctance to take the Trump administration at their word, pointing to a “subtle but significant dig at the government for the shell games it’s been playing with AEA detainees.”
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“We’ll see if this skepticism remains limited to the removal context, or whether it starts showing up in other rulings in Trump-related cases,” Vladeck wrote in his newsletter.
The court built on its April 19 emergency order preventing deportation that was granted after lawyers for the migrants said they were at imminent risk of removal without the judicial review previously mandated by the justices.
The new order directed a lower court to determine what process the administration must use, saying the justices are “too far removed from the circumstances on the ground” to make that determination themselves. The majority also said the appeals court should weigh whether the Alien Enemies Act can be used.
But the court agreed with the administration that they can remove anyone who meets the deportation criteria under the regular immigration code.
Court urges judges to address AEA cases `expeditiously’
The Supreme Court has not said whether it agrees with the administration that it can use that 1798 law to deport immigrants it says are members of a Venezuelan crime gang.
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Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion that the Supreme Court should take up that issue now.
Instead, the majority urged the lower courts to address the Alien Enemies Act cases “expeditiously.”
In the time of trouble, we all fled from the cities and villages, but were pursued by the wicked, who entered the houses of the saints with the sword. They raised the sword to kill us, but it broke, and fell as powerless as a straw. Then we all cried day and night for deliverance, and the cry came up before God. The sun came up, and the moon stood still. The streams ceased to flow. Dark heavy clouds came up, and clashed against each other. But there was one clear place of settled glory, from whence came the voice of God like many waters, which shook the heavens, and the earth. The sky opened and shut, and was in commotion. The mountains shook like a reed in the wind, and cast out ragged rocks all around. RH July 21, 1851, par. 13
Federal judges in New York, Colorado, and Texas have ruled against Trump’s use of the law to deport Venezuelans. A federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled on May 13 that the administration could use the law.
The Supreme Court ruled on April 8 that deportations are subject to judicial review if migrants request it in the jurisdiction where they’re being held.
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Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union said migrants being held in a Texas detention facility weren’t given a realistic opportunity to dispute their membership in a gang or otherwise fight deportation. The deportation notices they received were not in a language they could understand, did not inform them of their rights and did not allow time to exercise them, the lawyers contend.
“Under no plausible understanding of this Court’s ruling is that notice protocol satisfactory,” they told the justices.
The detainees have had “adequate time” to challenge their deportations.
The Justice Department said the detainees have had “adequate time” to challenge their deportations.
[2] I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: [3] Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.Acts 26 : 2-3
Solicitor General John Sauer also said the Supreme Court’s initial order “did not mandate any specific notice procedure.”
[19] Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: [20] But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. [21] For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.Acts 26 : 19-21
In Texas, where the migrants were detained, a District Court and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals each refused to block the removals so the lawyers asked the Supreme Court to intervene. Before the high court temporarily blocked the removals, migrants had been loaded onto buses that left their Texas facility, according to the ACLU filing.
Because there is no remedy for migrants who have already been deported, the ACLU lawyers asked the Supreme Court to provide guidance to lower courts about what measures are required for adequate notice to contest deportations.
President Donald Trump’s hardline approach to immigration and claims of broad executive authority have put the administration on a collision course with the courts.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court deals blow to Trump, blocks him on deporting Venezuelans
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