The Supreme Court intervened on Monday evening to block a federal judge’s order requiring the U.S. government to return deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States.
Chief Justice John Roberts granted an emergency stay, allowing the Trump administration time to challenge the ruling. The lower court had ordered that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national with verified gang ties, be brought back by midnight Monday.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis exceeded her authority and interfered with the president’s foreign policy powers. Abrego Garcia, a verified MS-13 member, was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the Trump administration contended that his removal protection was invalid due to MS-13’s designation as a terrorist group.
