The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants early Saturday, following an emergency petition by the ACLU.
The order halted removals under the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used statute Trump invoked last month to expel migrants he claims are gang members.
More than 50 Venezuelan migrants at a detention center in Anson, Texas were reportedly set to be deported Friday night.
The ACLU rushed to file emergency appeals in three different courts, warning that detainees were already being loaded onto buses.
Only two justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented.
The Trump team is trying to brand asylum seekers as violent criminals without evidence. In one case, a 19-year-old was accused of gang ties based on a Facebook photo of what turned out to be a toy water gun.
Judge James Boasberg is weighing whether to hold Trump’s team in contempt for ignoring court orders, while the ACLU pushes for a nationwide 30-day notice requirement for all removals under the Alien Enemies Act.
