News: Trump plans to implement the Alien Enemy Act of 1798 to deport immigrants

News – The President of the USA, Donald Trump, promised to implement an unknown 226-year-old law when he returns to power, and John Adams was the President of America at the time when the Congress took this step for the first time and the United States consisted of only 16 states, and at that time war with France appeared.

“This is how far we had to go back, because in those days, we didn’t play games,” Trump said at a Nov. 4 rally. network operating on our soil.” “American”.

Trump said the law would give his administration “tremendous power” and allow officials to “remove from the United States all known or suspected gang members, drug traffickers, or cartel members.”

Legal experts say efforts to enforce the law could face an uphill battle in court, but given the number of times Trump mentioned the law during his election campaign, and its presence in platform of the Republican Party this year, it looks like we will. hear more about it in the coming months.

Here’s a look at some key questions and answers about the law that Trump has indicated will be part of his massive deportation plan:

What are the circumstances that allow the president to invoke the Foreign Affairs Act?

The text of the Alien Enemies Act states that it can be invoked whenever war is declared between the United States and “any foreign state or government” or “aggression or aggression made, attempted or threatened against the against the territory of the United States. by any foreign state or government.” “The president shall announce the event publicly.”

In other words, if the United States is at war with another country, or if a foreign country or government attacks the United States or threatens to attack the United States, the president can act of Foreign Countries to apply.

Who will be affected by the implementation of the Alien Enemies Act?

In these circumstances, “every native, citizen, resident, or subject of the hostile state or government” who is at least 14 years of age and has not been a naturalized citizen in the US “subject to arrest, detention, security and removal” as enemy aliens.

In other words, some people who are not US citizens may be considered “enemy aliens” based on their nationality, and this designation may be grounds for arrest and deportation. away.

At first, the law only applied to male foreign nationals, but it was changed in 1918 after Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to authorize it to target “German-born women” during World War II. , says researcher Katherine Yoon Ebright of Brennan at New York University. Center.

Although the law does not technically apply to them, in the past children under the age of 14 were kept with their parents so as not to separate families. to send home the children of American citizens,” Ebright said.

America is not at war with any other country, is this law still applicable?

Experts say that if the Trump administration attacks the Alien Enemy Act, immigrant and civil rights advocates will likely argue that it is illegal to use the law to detain and deport foreign nationals under these situations.

“There is no real military attack or military attack by a foreign country or government,” Ebright says. “In a time of war.”