Alien Enemies Act: The 1798 law Trump used to deport migrants

The wartime Alien Enemies Act has been controversially used to deport Venezuelans to a mega-jail in El Salvador.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWhat is the 1798 law that Trump used to deport migrants?2 days agoShareSaveSofia Ferreira SantosBBC NewsShareSaveSecretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via ReutersMore than 200 Venezuelans, who the White House alleges are gang members, have been deported from the US to a notorious mega-jail in El Salvador.

Out of the 261 people deported, 137 were removed under the Alien Enemies Act, a senior administration official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

This broad, centuries-old law was invoked by President Donald Trump. He accused Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) of "perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion" on US territory.

A lower court had temporarily blocked these deportations on 15 March, ruling that the administration's actions under the law needed further scrutiny. But in a 5-4 decision on 7 April, the Supreme Court lifted that block, siding with Trump while also mandating procedural safeguards.

The Alien Enemies Act grants the president of the United States sweeping powers to order the detention and deportation of natives or citizens of an "enemy" nation without following the usual processes.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy871w21d3vo

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