The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the deportation of Venezuelan migrants, including a couple, Julio Cesar Sanchez Puentes and Luddis Norelia Sanchez Garcia, who had been living in the U.S. since 2022 under temporary protected status. A federal judge in Texas, David Briones, ruled against their deportation, finding President Trump’s invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act inappropriate for their case. The judge ordered their release from detention in El Paso, stating that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) failed to establish any lawful grounds for their detention.
Briones criticized the use of wartime powers during peacetime, which he noted had created confusion and unpredictability in immigration cases. The couple, initially detained after entering the U.S., received temporary protected status and lived in the Washington, D.C. area with their three children. They had been accused of links to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. However, Briones deemed the evidence against them largely based on hearsay.
Following a series of petitions challenging their detention, they were finally released on April 16, 2025. Their attorney expressed relief, citing the couple’s strong community ties and peaceful living conditions since their arrival. The ruling came after Trump had sought to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to remove individuals alleged to be linked to criminal organizations. The Supreme Court’s pause on deportations followed arguments that individuals could be removed without due process, reinforcing the legal concerns surrounding the administration’s actions against Venezuelan nationals in the U.S.
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