The Alien Enemies Act: What to know about a 1798 law that Trump has invoked for deportations
President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang.
President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang. Hours later, a federal judge halted deportations under Trump’s order.
The act is a sweeping wartime authority that allows non-citizens to be deported without being given the opportunity to go before an immigration or federal court judge.
Trump repeatedly hinted during his campaign that he would declare extraordinary powers to confront illegal immigration and laid additional groundwork in a slew of executive orders on Jan. 20.
His proclamation on Saturday identified Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang as an invading force. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, blocked anyone from being deported under Trump’s proclamation for two weeks and scheduled a Friday hearing to consider arguments.
Alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua deported from the U.S. arrive in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in a photo released Sunday.El Salvador's Presidency Press Office via AFP - Getty ImagesWhat is the Alien Enemies Act?In 1798, with the U.S. preparing for what it believed would be a war with France, Congress passed a series of laws that increased the federal government’s reach. Worried that immigrants could sympathize with the French, the Alien Enemies Act was created to give the president wide powers to imprison and deport non-citizens in time of war.
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