Immigration detainees in Texas have been pictured forming an SOS, the international distress signal.
A group of 31 men at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson arranged themselves in a dirt field to form large letters after spotting a drone flying above.
In video footage released by Reuters, the men—clad in red and orange jumpsuits—wave to the drone and one flashes a peace sign before taking up the SOS formation.
Why It Matters
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] facility, located about 200 miles west of Dallas and 30 miles north of Abilene, has been a focal point of the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to target individuals it alleges are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The government's decision to invoke the rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to bypass traditional legal channels has sparked accusations of executive overreach.
President Donald Trump has pledged to conduct widespread deportations as his administration looks to remove millions of undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is considered to be a "criminal."
What To Know
At least 28 detainees—mostly believed to be Venezuelan nationals—were placed on Immigration and Customs Enforcement buses at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, and driven toward Abilene Regional Airport, on April 18. Video from that night shows the buses abruptly turning around and returning to the facility. The incident occurred shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the deportation of Venezuelan men from Texas under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The Supreme Court issued a temporary halt to their deportation.
As the motorcade made its way to the airport, a last-minute federal hearing on the matter was underway in Washington.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, handling a case concerning the flights to El Salvador, called for an emergency hearing on Friday evening, which took place just hours after the bus reached Bluebonnet.
Before the hearing began, attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union also requested that the Supreme Court intervenes.
Each man was asked to sign a removal order, though many chose not to. Had any of them signed and been deported within 24 hours, the Trump administration could have faced potential violations of the Supreme Court's April 7 order, which mandated that individuals targeted for deportation under the Alien Enemies Act be given "reasonable time" to appeal.
The Supreme Court issued its ruling early Saturday, ordering the administration to temporarily halt its deportation flights.
The Bluebonnet Detention Facility, situated about 200 miles west of Dallas, is operated by the private for-profit prison company Management and Training Corporation under contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Named after Texas's state flower, the facility has housed an average of 846 detainees per day during fiscal year 2025, according to ICE data.
What People Are Saying
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X, formerly Twitter: "We are confident we will ultimately prevail against the onslaught of meritless litigation brought by radical activists who care more about the rights of these terrorist aliens than those of the American people."
Stephen Miller said on X: "The TDA illegals now being held in Texas are documented foreign terrorists who infiltrated the country at the direction of an adversarial regime. They were arrested in diligently planned and executed raids recently carried out by Departments of Justice and Homeland Security."
What Happens Next
The legal battle surrounding the deportation of detainees under the Alien Enemies Act is far from over.
While the Supreme Court's ruling temporarily halts deportation flights, the case is still pending, with the possibility of further court decisions and appeals. Immigration advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, continue to challenge the use of the Alien Enemies Act, arguing that it circumvents due process rights and violates international law by labeling individuals as national security threats without proper evidence or hearings.
This breaking-news article will be updated.
Update, 05/01/24, 06:20 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
