Trump invokes the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law, amid immigration crackdown; judge stalls it hours later
Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claiming the United States was being invaded by a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua. This rarely used war-time law grants the president broad powers to expedite mass deportations, potentially advancing Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown.
Trump asserted that Tren de Aragua was acting on behalf of Venezuela's government, describing the gang as a hostile force that poses a serious threat to the United States. «Over the years, Venezuelan national and local authorities have ceded ever-greater control over their territories to transnational criminal organisations, including TdA,» Trump's statement read. «The result is a hybrid criminal state that is perpetrating an invasion of and predatory incursion into the United States.»
Hours after Trump’s proclamation, US District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg issued an emergency order blocking deportations under the 18th-century law. Boasberg intervened after reports emerged that the government had already begun flying deportees to El Salvador and Honduras for detention.
«I do not believe I can wait any longer and am required to act,» Boasberg said during a Saturday evening hearing. He emphasized that delaying the deportations would not harm the government since those affected remained in custody.
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The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward on behalf of five Venezuelans facing imminent