The Supreme Court delivered a major blow to Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown on Friday — and he’s fuming.
In a 7-2 ruling on Friday, the court blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act, saying they weren’t given enough time or information to fight their removal.
“Notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights… surely does not pass muster,” the justices wrote.
The men in question have been linked by Trump officials to the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. But the court said they can’t be deported just yet. Their case is being sent back to a lower court to figure out whether they were given fair warning and a chance to defend themselves.
Still, the court noted the government could try to deport them using other legal methods — just not under the rushed process the Trump team used in April.
Trump exploded on Truth Social shortly after the decision came down.
“THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!” he shouted in all caps.
He followed with a much longer rant accusing the court of tying his hands.
“The Supreme Court has just ruled that the worst murderers, drug dealers, gang members, and even those who are mentally insane… are not allowed to be forced out without going through a long, protracted, and expensive Legal Process,” Trump wrote.
He added: “The result of this decision will let more CRIMINALS pour into our Country… Sleepy Joe Biden allowed MILLIONS of Criminal Aliens to come into our Country without any ‘PROCESS’ but, in order to get them out of our Country, we have to go through a long and extended PROCESS… This is a bad and dangerous day for America!”
Only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. They argued there wasn’t enough evidence that the men were in “imminent danger of removal” and said the lower courts didn’t drag their feet.
Alito pushed back on the majority’s criticism of the lower court, writing, “The Court characterizes the District Court’s behavior during the period in question as ‘inaction,’ but in my judgment, that is unfair.”
The ruling comes after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act in March, targeting Venezuelans tied to Tren de Aragua. His executive order said gang members over the age of 14 could be deported immediately, calling it an “invasion.”
The Supreme Court didn’t weigh in on whether that law was used correctly. They just made it clear: the way the deportations were handled wasn’t legal.
“We decide today only that the detainees are entitled to more notice than was given on April 18,” the justices wrote.
The decision also pointed to a chilling example: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported by mistake and ended up in a prison in El Salvador. The government now says it can’t bring him back.
The majority admitted national security matters, but said it can’t come at the expense of basic rights.
“We recognize the significance of the Government’s national security interests… [but] such interests must be pursued in a manner consistent with the Constitution,” the ruling stated.
Still, Trump wasn’t done. Hours earlier, he posted another furious message about the Supreme Court:
“IS BEING PLAYED BY THE RADICAL LEFT LOSERS” whose “ONLY HOPE IS THE INTIMIDATION OF THE COURT.”
This all came just one day after the court also heard arguments in another high-stakes Trump case — this one over his attempt to end birthright citizenship.
The legal defeats are piling up. And Trump is losing his grip.
