In his latest move to clamp down on illegal immigration President Trump has filed a presidential action invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom-used law that gives the president authority to detain or deport nationals of an enemy nation during wartime. It's only the fourth time in American history a president has used the act 鈥� and the first since World War II.
The directive targets members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, and authorizes expedited removal of all Venezuelan citizens 14 and older who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
According to the presidential action, those people "are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies."
An executive action signed in January that designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization paved the way for the direct removal of its members from U.S. territory under the, declaring they, along with MS-13, a gang with origins in El Salvador not included in Saturday's action, "present an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy."
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