President Donald Trump has vowed to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to speed up deportations and call for the death penalty for migrants who kill Americans. This law allows the president wartime power to deport people without hearings if necessary. Trump has specifically targeted the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in Denver and Aurora, planning to eliminate foreign gangs bringing crime to U.S. soil.
Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act during peacetime has raised concerns about violating detainees’ rights and the potential use of military resources for deportations. Democratic senators have cautioned against Trump’s use of words like “invasion” to invoke wartime powers, emphasizing that Congress, not the White House, makes immigration policy.
Despite Trump’s promises of mass deportation during his campaign, statistics show that federal agents have not significantly increased deportations. Trump has also ordered the construction of a 30,000-bed detention facility at Guantanamo Bay for deportees, but it has not held more than about 200 individuals at a time. The Guantanamo Bay facility gained notoriety for holding terror suspects following the 9/11 attacks, with allegations of torture and mistreatment during the U.S. war on terrorism.
Overall, Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act and toughening of immigration enforcement have sparked legal challenges and criticisms, with concerns about violating detainee rights and the potential militarization of deportations.
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