Trump to invoke wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to carry out deportations

President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 in order to expedite mass deportations of illegal immigrants. This law, which allows the president to detain or deport individuals from nations considered enemies, was a central part of Trump’s campaign promises.

Trump intends to use this law to target members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang (TdA), a violent international criminal group operating in U.S. cities, including Aurora, Colorado, where they have reportedly taken control of entire apartment complexes. The Department of State has recently labeled TdA as a foreign terrorist organization.

Trump has expressed his intention to implement an Operation Aurora at the federal level to accelerate the removal of gang members. During a rally in October, he confirmed his plan, stating:

"I'm announcing today that upon taking office, we will have an Operation Aurora at the federal level to expedite the removals of these savage gangs, and I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798."

The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times in U.S. history—during the War of 1812 and both World Wars—and was notably used to detain Japanese Americans during World War II.

In his second term, Trump’s administration has already arrested 32,000 illegal immigrants within the first 50 days. The White House has confirmed the start of deportation flights, with Karoline Leavitt, Press Secretary, sharing an image on X (formerly Twitter) stating: "Deportation flights have begun."

Trump’s broader strategy is to target and dismantle criminal migrant networks operating on U.S. soil, with Tren de Aragua high on his priority list.