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Supreme Court Allows Alien Enemies Act Deportations To Continue; District Judge Cancels Hearing On Alien Enemies Act Deportation After Supreme Court Ruling; Small Businesses Already Impacted By Trump's Sweeping Tariffs; Floria Gators Back On Top As NCAA Basketball Champs. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 08, 2025 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[13:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: -- the Supreme Court. But that was really interesting.

We have a lot more on this. Obviously, a lot going on today with immigration and also tariffs. So we'll take a quick break. We'll be right back with much more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: The Trump administration is claiming victory today after a divided Supreme Court said that it could continue using a sweeping wartime authority to rapidly deport alleged gang members.

KEILAR: The court's decision allows President Trump to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, while litigation over its use plays out in a lower court.

[13:35:02]

The caveat is this: Detainees subjected to the act must be notified about it and given ample notice, reasonable time, the court said, to challenge their removal.

CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is with us now.

All right, Priscilla, so what does this ruling mean for these types of deportations going forward?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It means that they can lean on this authority, which is attractive to them because it speeds things up.

But the caveat is really important here, because the Supreme Court is saying that you have to give these people adequate notice for them to challenge their deportation under this authority.

Of course, what we saw last month was that these Venezuelan nationals were swiftly sent to El Salvador under this authority, and they didn't know, according to their attorneys, it happened so quickly.

So while this is a green light for the administration, it comes with a caveat.

I will say, however, that it is incredibly hard already to challenge your deportation over the course of immigration proceedings. So doing so in federal court is going to be interesting to see how that due process unfolds.

This -- this entire process is going to be new. And how that plays out will be really fascinating. We're not there yet, but I will say that, earlier this afternoon, we already saw a lawsuit filed for two Venezuelan asylum seekers in New York.

Now, this lawsuit is challenging their removal under the Alien Enemies Act. They have not been put on that track yet, but they were close to being deported last month under the authority.

So these attorneys have already moved quite quickly to file this lawsuit in New York. So we're going to start to see that happen over the over the coming days.

And again, this process is a new one. It's an unprecedented one. So we'll see how it plays out.

Of course, to remind viewers, the last time that we saw this authority used was during World War II.

KEILAR: It's really interesting, though. I wonder. Priscilla, actually, did you have a sound byte? I think I heard that you were tossing to some sound. No?

ALVAREZ: Yes, we -- well, the attorney general also spoke to this of the complications of this process. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAM BONDI, ATTORNEY GENERAL: From this point forward, the hearing will be held -- it's a habeas hearing -- in the Court of Confinement, which means in Texas.

UNIDENTIFIED ANCHOR: Yes.

BONDI: So it will be a much faster hearing. They can't do class actions. It will be a much smoother, simpler hearing. And these people will be deported.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALAVAREZ: So I think that's what we're waiting for, right? He says a smoother, simpler hearing. For who? Is it for the administration? Is it for the attorneys? For the immigrants?

And it is this process, by the way, that is the reason that people think this is going to go to the Supreme Court again, because part of it is going to be, is Tren de Aragua really an invasion into the United States, which is what the authority hinges on?

KEILAR: Yes. Really interesting. Priscilla, thank you so much.

Elliot Williams is now joining us to talk a little bit more about this. He's a former federal prosecutor and former assistant director for legislative affairs at ICE.

So these are expanded powers. There is a significant guardrail though. And I wonder if this is something that would stop things like the Maryland man who was deported mistakenly to El Salvador, where he clearly should not have been deported to.

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, yes and no. Only in that, that is a unique case, not specific to these folks removed under the Alien Enemies Act.

KEILAR: That's very true.

WILLIAMS: Right.

KEILAR: But in the case of people removed under the Alien Enemies Act --

WILLIAMS: Right.

KEILAR: -- giving them this habeas --

WILLIAMS: Yes.

KEILAR: -- does this get them in front of someone's eyes so that there's a little bit more of an approval process?

WILLIAMS: Yes, a few things. One, it slows things down because, anytime someone is going into court, they're not getting kicked out of the country. So that's a big, I would even say loss for the administration.

You heard the attorney general there talking about the speed with which they want to act. Well, by allowing people to go to court, you're slowing things down.

But, two, more importantly, it's another set of eyes. It is a federal judge looking at the case.

Now, as Priscilla had said, it's very hard to win in court in immigration matters, so don't expect a flood of alleged Tren de Aragua members winning their cases here.

But, yes, it's a judge looking at a case and an opportunity to be heard.

SANCHEZ: The Supreme Court also said that this was filed in the wrong venue. Talk to us about that.

WILLIAMS: Right. So habeas -- and you might have remembered this from high school history or whatever else. But habeas corpus is the ability to challenge the conditions of your confinement or detention. Now, the last suits were not filed where the people were detained, but

other places in the country. The Supreme Court was quite, quite clear that these are now habeas suits that must be filed where the people were detained.

Here, with these Tren de Aragua members, it was in Texas. Now, that's a very favorable court, the district down there and the appeals court around it.

And so -- and the attorney general alluded to this as well in that soundbite. It's sort of a win for the administration, just because, if they are going to file these -- these suits, they're probably going to file them where they detain people. And that's probably going to be in a very friendly court.

KEILAR: So what -- what happens if someone has already been deported under this act? Is there any -- you know, do they have any recourse?

WILLIAMS: So there are a number of open questions that the Supreme Court left. There's a lot of things -- you know, everybody's fighting over who won this suit yesterday, and no one really knows because there are a bunch of unanswered questions.

[13:40:08]

And one of the big ones is what happens to someone who has already been sent out of the country but has now the Supreme Court has at least suggested that they have some rights.

Now, do they make it retroactive to the point at which they were in the country? I doubt that.

But I'm sure some of these folks who are overseas are going to at least file a lawsuit saying, wait a second, you ruled saying that I could have challenged this before, let me at least have my day in court.

They might lose that, but they're probably going to file that lawsuit.

SANCHEZ: So as a result of this decision, Judge Boasberg's hearing today was canceled. It was supposed to be about whether there was probable cause to hold the Trump administration in contempt for essentially violating his decision to turn around those flights and bring those folks back.

Is that whole question just moot now?

WILLIAMS: I think so. It's not -- the case hasn't completely gone away, but -- but probably yet another unanswered question.

Now, this was one of the -- the points that I believe it was Justice Sotomayor said in her dissent, which was, in the dead of night, the Supreme Court issued this ruling so quickly on an emergency basis.

And did it on the eve of this hearing that was supposed to happen, which sort of clipped Judge Boasberg hands. Now, part of this is just the pace at which all these cases are moving

along. You're going to see things like this in disagreements between the courts.

But the two dissenting justices or three -- actually, no, two, because Coney Barrett didn't join this part of the opinion -- did not like the fact that the Supreme Court ruled so quickly when they did, cutting off that district court hearing.

KEILAR: All right, Elliot, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Small businesses could be among those hit hardest by the global trade war. Ahead, we'll be speaking to a store owner who says he will close the doors this summer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:46:06]

KEILAR: President Trump's sweeping tariffs are already having a direct impact on many Americans. Small business owners are especially worried about how or if they can navigate the economic turmoil.

We're hearing from many of them across the country, including our next guest, Henrik Svendsen, who has made the difficult decision to close his furniture store in Merriam, Kansas, because of the presidents tariffs.

Henrik, thank you for being with us.

We see you there in your store. Tell us how you came to this decision that you needed to close the store.

HENRIK SVENDSEN, OWNER, BOLIYA USA: I made this decision six weeks ago when the 20 percent extra tariffs was imposed on China. We were already paying 25 percent. And at that point, it was 45 percent.

And then 99 percent of our furniture in here is imported. So it would have an effect on -- on every country that we buy furniture from.

KEILAR: So what has it done so far in -- you tell us. Have you seen the impact of prices already, or explain to us what it would have meant that you would have to pass on to the customer in terms of -- like, price out a sofa for us or a table? What would that be?

SVENDSEN: I mean, I will -- I will see it tomorrow if it's either 54 percent on -- on a container from China, or if it's 104 percent on a container from China.

So with the 54 percent, if -- if we sell a sofa for $1,000, we will have to sell it for $1,299. And if it's 104 percent, then that sofa will be over $2,000.

KEILAR: And you just expect people are not going to pay those prices?

SVENDSEN: No, they -- they will not -- they will not do that. I don't think they can afford it.

KEILAR: And so as you make this decision to wind things down, is that just a matter of minimizing your losses?

SVENDSEN: I will minimize the loss. I had a lease that was up for renewal in August. I can't plan anything if I don't know what my actual price is on the product that I buy from overseas.

KEILAR: Yes. You don't want to be on the hook for a lease, right, that's going to continue through the summer.

So the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, this morning, he said that he expects businesses will take a wait-and-see approach before they make any decisions on building new plants in America.

He has also said that he doesn't think that businesses necessarily have to pass on costs to consumers. When you hear that kind of thing coming from officials, what's your reaction?

SVENDSEN: I don't think furniture is going to be ever made in the U.S. again. It was -- that was already lost in the '80s and '90s, where all the big American producers or manufacturers, they went overseas.

They -- they buy all their product from -- from Vietnam and China. So I don't see it coming back again. I don't see anybody want to work for a furniture factory making sofas anymore.

KEILAR: Do you get the sense that when you're hearing officials talk about how businesses are planning that they're talking about, you know, small businesses like yours with the margins that you have?

SVENDSEN: I don't think they care. I think, when it comes to -- to -- I don't think you announce a tariff and try to negotiate afterwards. As a small business, we can't operate like that. I think maybe it should have been negotiated and then you would announce it.

[13:50:01]

KEILAR: So what does this mean for you, financially, and for the people who work for you?

SVENDSEN: They will have to find another job. I'm very fortunate that I have another business where I sell furniture from -- from China and -- and Mexico to other retailers.

So I can go back to that. At this point, that's more secure than operating a retail business.

KEILAR: Even with the tariffs. I assume you're impacted there too, though, right?

SVENDSEN: Even with the tariffs. And I'm impacted there, too. I will have to find another place to make my furniture.

I mean, that's really what happened before when it was just 25 percent on China. The manufacturers, they just moved either to Cambodia and Vietnam to avoid the tariffs.

So there would always be a place that can produce it less expensive than it is in the U.S. And it's just a -- it would be easier if there would just be a flat tariff on -- on all the countries than it would be an even playing field.

KEILAR: Yes. Well, Hendrik, thanks for speaking with us. It's obviously really important to see how it's impacting business owners like you. Thank you so much.

SVENDSEN: Thank you.

KEILAR: Well, the madness is over, and we have a winner, at least in our bet here. It's not me, people. It's this guy. The Florida Gators, back on top as the men's NCAA basketball champions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Five seconds. Sharp, he walked.

ANNOUNCER: He can't.

(CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: He can't touch it. He can't. One second and its over. Florida is back on top of the college basketball world championship madness.

(CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: It's a great day to be a Gator. They win the national title.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The Gators pulled off a nail biter of a win to take home their third national title, the first in 18 years.

CNN Sports' Coy Wire nabbed the first interview with Florida's championship head coach, Todd Golden.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: What does this win mean for you and Gator nation?

TODD GOLDEN, FLORIDA GATORS HEAD COACH: Obviously, we're thrilled, man. It's a heck of a moment, an incredible opportunity to be here. And the fact that we finished it up means everything in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So there was a bet. This is the result. We'll explain its majesty in just moments. KEILAR: Majesty?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:57:17]

KEILAR: Back to one of the top stories. The Florida Gators winning their third national championship. And that means that I lost a bet because I did not pick the Gators.

However, making good on this kind of bet really means that everyone wins.

SANCHEZ: Everyone wins, here in the studio, anybody who's around the bureau right now. If you're in the Washington, D.C. area, there's a Glizzy here because there are so many for you.

KEILAR: Yes, so I said -- I said I would -- I don't even remember. It's like it was irrelevant what would happen if I won. But if you won, which I figured was more.

SANCHEZ: I would draw a basketball on my head.

KEILAR: Oh, that's right. Oh, that would have been fun.

SANCHEZ: Duke -- Duke had a really good chance to win. They didn't.

We actually have diehard Florida Gator fan and alumnus, CNN anchor and senior national correspondent, Sara Sidner, with us wearing her orange and blue.

Sara, do you have a Glizzy nearby to celebrate with us?

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR & SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, but I have this. One second. I'm doing this on my own, so, like so.

(LAUGHTER)

SIDNER: Tell me again Walter Clayton Jr isn't the number-one basketball player in the country. The MVP.

It was incredible, you guys. But I literally almost blacked out. My lips went like -- like started to tingle as I was watching this game because the Gators were down for most of the game.

Houston played a darn good game, but we came out on top. And it was because of two things, I think personally. Thomas Hall, who basically stripped the ball and got the ball down and got -- he got a foul.

And then Walter Payton Jr? Oh, he's not playing, OK? He tied the game up. And that was the pivot for me.

But this is the hat I'm going to be wearing for the rest of the week, you all. The Gators came out on top.

I do want to -- if we can -- if we have time, go to what happened after the game when all of the confetti was coming down and people were celebrating.

We were laughing, we were screaming, but we were also doing this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

SIDNER: With literal tears. All of us. All of us are in tears. This is amazing. It's beautiful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

SIDNER: Yes, we were crying. A lot of us, men, women, children. We were all, like, in tears because we were so anxious the whole freaking game. Those Gators nearly killed us all.

But in the end, we came out chomping up those Cougars. And I am a happy woman today.

KEILAR: You were freaking out there for a second, though. I mean, hyperventilating. I love that you just captured yourself doing that. It was real.

[13:59:59]

And I was like I can't hold this anymore. Like, I'm so done. And it was still recruiting. And then I saw it and I was like, well, I guess this is good. This is the real thing. This is real what happened.