'Nazis got better treatment,' judge says of deportees in Alien Enemies Act case
U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett repeatedly pressed the Trump administration on the lack of due process protections for alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court judge pressed lawyers for the Trump administration Monday about its use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, saying the "Nazis got better treatment" during World War II.
U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett of the District of Columbia Circuit made the remark as she questioned Justice Department attorney Drew Ensign about the alleged Tren de Aragua gang members who were flown to a prison in El Salvador on March 15, after President Donald Trump invoked the wartime authority against the gang.
Millett, whom President Barack Obama appointed to the bench, said deportees weren't given any due process before they were removed from the United States and weren't told where they were being sent. They also weren't given the opportunity to dispute whether they were involved with the gang, she said.
Judge Patricia Millett.U.S. Court of Appeals District of Columbia Circuit / AP fileFollow live politics coverage here
The last time the United States used the 1798 law was during World War II, Millett said, adding that Nazis were able to make their case against removal from the United States to a hearing board.
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