
Trump is invoking the Alien Enemies Act. Here are answers to key questions about the 1798 law
CNN
President Trump says he’s using the 227-year-old law to crack down on Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. The move is already facing a legal challenge. Here’s a look at key questions and answers about the Alien Enemies Act.
President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law previously used when the US was at war. The law has been invoked three times before — most recently as a justification for some internments during World War II. This time, Trump says he’s targeting Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, declaring that its members “have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.” Trump repeatedly pointed to the 1798 law on the campaign trail and signaled it would be part of his mass deportation efforts. But the move to invoke the Alien Enemies Act is already facing a legal challenge, and a federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from conducting deportations under it. Here’s a look at some key questions and answers about the Alien Enemies Act: