Justice Samuel Alito has criticized a Supreme Court ruling instructing Donald Trump’s administration to pause the deportation of Venezuelan men in custody.

The court issued an order early Saturday morning directing Trump‘s administration to pause deportations of Venezuelan men it accused of being members of a gang. It had intended to deport them using powers under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798.

Writing in a dissenting opinion Alito, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush in 2005, said the court had behaved “hastily and prematurely” without following legal precedents.

“The Court issued unprecedent and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” he wrote.

Justice Clarence Thomas also dissented.

Associate Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Associate Justice Samuel Alito joins other members of the Supreme Court as they pose for a new group portrait, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

This is a developing story and will be updated.