US President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised the Supreme Court for clearing the way for his administration to press ahead with immigration actions.
The ruling included deporting alleged gang members under a wartime law dating back to 1798 called the “Alien Enemies Act“.
“Thanks to the Supreme Court yesterday and today, we had a big ruling, too,” Trump said. “We had a very big ruling today, but we will continue to deport these monsters under the Alien Enemies Act.”
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump added: “Last month, we officially designated Tren de Aragua, MS-13 and the Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations—and thanks to the Supreme Court yesterday… we will continue to deport these monsters under the Alien Enemies Act.”
Last month, Trump officials flew 250 accused gang members to El Salvador. Upon landing, the alleged criminals — including 238 members of Tren de Aragua and 23 MS-13 operatives — were met by heavily armed commandos, chained, and transferred to the infamous Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT).
The Supreme Court delivered two major rulings this week that bolster Trump’s agenda to tighten the borders and reduce the size of the federal workforce. In one ruling on Monday, the justices overturned a lower court’s decision that had blocked the removal of several men alleged to be gang members — including members of Venezuela’s feared Tren de Aragua group — without formal legal proceedings. The court said deportations under the Alien Enemies Act may continue, although detainees must still be given due process.

What is Alien Enemies Act?

The Alien Enemies Act, part of the Alien and Sedition Acts passed in 1798, allows the US government to detain and remove nationals from hostile nations during times of conflict. Trump invoked the act earlier this year to detain and deport suspected members of foreign criminal organisations, which he has since designated as “foreign terrorist organisations.”
In a second win for Trump on Tuesday, the Supreme Court temporarily halted a lower court’s order that would have required federal agencies to reinstate about 16,000 workers the Trump administration had previously dismissed. This pause allows Trump to continue reshaping federal departments as part of his cost-cutting strategy.
Trump also drew a contrast between his administration and that of Joe Biden, claiming that last year under Biden there were “more than 184,000 illegal aliens” in the country. “Under my administration, we released nine — all because of medical emergencies only,” he said.

Salvadoran President confirmed the arrival of ‘illegal aliens’

Last month, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele posted a video on his X account confirming the arrival of Tren de Aragua members after being deported from the US: “Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for one year (renewable),” he wrote. “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.”
He also confirmed the arrival of 23 MS-13 members wanted in El Salvador, including two high-ranking leaders.
Tren de Aragua, originally a prison gang in Venezuela, has gained ground in several US cities. In New York, the gang has been linked to retail theft, phone snatching, and peddling a synthetic drug known as Tusi.
The Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law that Trump invoked for deportations, allowed him to target gang members from Tren de Aragua. “They can be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies,” he said.