US President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemy Act to expedite the deportation of immigrants “associated” with a Venezuelan gang.
A White House statement on Saturday said Trump invoked a power previously used only three times during wartime. The 1798 law gives the president extraordinary powers to target and deport undocumented immigrants.
Through his executive order invoking the law, Trump targets the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, designating the group a “foreign terrorist organization,” paving the way for the immediate arrest and deportation of anyone suspected of having ties to it.
However, some US legal experts have expressed concern that using this law to deport undocumented immigrants during peacetime could raise legal issues, given that it was originally intended for wartime.
