President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law providing for deportations of noncitizens during times of war or invasion.
The proclamation targets members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang, which Trump links to the socialist regime in Venezuela. Trump declared TdA a foreign terrorist organization in February.
The case is in legal limbo after several groups sued the administration.
Meanwhile, the act has already been used as the basis for a deportation flight carrying hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador under an agreement announced a day earlier.
History of the Law
The Alien Enemies Act was part of the Alien and Sedition Acts enacted in 1798 by the Federalist legislature during the naval Quasi-War between the United States and France….