ISTANBUL

The US Supreme Court ordered early Saturday the Donald Trump administration to halt the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members from Texas under the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law dating back to 1798, local media reported.

In a brief order, the court said the government "is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this court," according to NBC News.

The decision comes as litigation over the legality of these removals continues, with the justices awaiting action from a lower appeals court.

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the order, signaling a split within the court’s conservative wing.

The detainees, currently held at Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, are accused by the administration of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

On Friday, observers reported at least one charter bus arriving at the facility, hinting at possible preparations for deportations.

Officials are attempting to deport them using the centuries-old wartime law, though critics argue it is being misapplied outside of a formal war context.

The detainees’ legal team, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), argues that the administration is misusing a law historically applied only during declared wars with foreign nations.

"The plaintiffs ask only that this court preserve the status quo so that proposed class members will not be sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador before the American judicial system can afford them due process," ACLU's filing stated.

The Supreme Court has ordered the government to respond once the appeals court acts. This follows an earlier April 7 ruling affirming detainees’ right to challenge deportations through habeas petitions.

Litigation is also ongoing in a separate case involving the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador.