Trump Admin Invokes Wartime Law to Speed Up Deportations
The Trump administration has invoked a rarely used wartime law to expedite the deportations of undocumented migrants connected to the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the gang’s criminal activities in the U.S.
🚨 #BREAKING: President Trump has just invoked the Alien Enemies Act, allowing him to QUICKLY ramp up deportations of violent criminals
Trump’s initial efforts will be to find, attest, and REMOVE members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua
LET’S GO! Democrats are going to… pic.twitter.com/3OiJxpoQD4
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 15, 2025
On Saturday, the White House issued a presidential proclamation citing the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows the government to target foreign nationals who pose a threat to national security.
This law has been invoked only three times in U.S. history—during World War I, World War II, and now in the present day.
The law, designed to be used when the United States is at war or under threat of invasion, grants the president significant authority to detain and deport foreign nationals. Legal experts, however, have raised concerns that the measure could face legal challenges due to its extraordinary nature.
The White House proclamation declared Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization, highlighting the gang’s involvement in “irregular warfare” and hostile actions against the U.S. The decree calls for the immediate arrest, detention, and deportation of all those connected to the gang.
“Evidence irrefutably demonstrates that TdA has invaded the United States and continues to invade, attempt to invade, and threaten to invade the country; perpetrated irregular warfare within the country; and used drug trafficking as a weapon against our citizens,” the White House said.
The gang, which originated in Venezuela, is believed to have infiltrated various U.S. cities and is involved in a range of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human smuggling, and violent crime. Officials say that members of the gang have engaged in criminal behavior that poses a direct threat to American communities.
In response to the administration’s decision, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order hours before the proclamation was released, blocking the deportations for some undocumented migrants.
The order applies only to individuals involved in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward.
The ACLU argues that the gang’s activities do not meet the legal definition of an “invasion” as outlined in the Alien Enemies Act, a point that could be pivotal in any future court rulings.
The judge’s order halted the removals for those named in the lawsuit, but the Department of Justice quickly appealed the ruling. The government has sought to escalate the matter to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking to overturn the restraining order and move forward with deportations, per CNN.
Despite the legal battle, the Trump administration remains committed to using the Alien Enemies Act to address what it sees as a serious threat posed by Tren de Aragua and other foreign criminal organizations.
In the presidential proclamation, the White House emphasized the need to take decisive action to protect U.S. citizens from what it called “irregular warfare” conducted by criminal groups operating on U.S. soil.
This development comes as part of the administration’s broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration and foreign criminal influence within the United States.
The Alien Enemies Act has a controversial history in the U.S., having been invoked during the World Wars to justify the internment and expulsion of immigrants from Axis powers, including Germany, Italy, Japan, and Austria-Hungary.
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Leave a Comment