Trump administration wins court approval to fast-track deportations under wartime law

The US Supreme Court has given the Trump administration temporary permission to use an 18th-century wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants accused of gang involvement. In a 5–4 decision, the court allowed the government to enforce the Alien Enemies Act , originally passed in 1798, but insisted that those affected must be granted a court hearing before removal.

The ruling, a major victory for the Trump White House, permits immigration officials to fast-track deportations while legal challenges continue in lower courts. However, the court made clear that deportees must be informed they are subject to the act and given a chance to contest their removal.

Legal proceedings must now take place in Texas, not Washington, as a federal appeals court had previously decided.

The decision exposed deep divisions on the bench. All three liberal justices dissented, accusing the administration of attempting to bypass judicial scrutiny. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, though part of the conservative majority, partially joined the dissent, signalling unease with parts of the ruling.