Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily blocked a lower court order requiring the return of Maryland man, alleged MS-13 gang member, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back to the United States by midnight on Monday.
The emergency action came in response to a request filed earlier in the day by President Donald Trump’s legal team, seeking to pause the ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis.
Judge Xinis, serving in the District of Maryland, had ordered the administration to return Abrego Garcia, who was previously deported to El Salvador and placed in the country’s high-security CECOT prison.
Roberts’ decision grants a temporary stay, delaying enforcement of the lower court’s ruling while the Supreme Court considers the matter. The order gives Abrego Garcia’s legal team until Tuesday, April 8, to respond.
The case has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement and the limits of judicial authority in foreign affairs.
The Trump administration’s legal argument, outlined in an emergency application filed by Solicitor General John Sauer, emphasized the constitutional role of the president in conducting foreign policy. Sauer expressed deep concern over what he characterized as judicial overreach.
“The Constitution vests the President with