Headline Roundup • March 17th, 2025
Trump Invokes Alien Enemies Act of 1798, Targeting Violent Unauthorized Migrants
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday to target immigrant street gangs, particularly the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA).
The Details: The Alien Enemies Act, passed in 1798, was last invoked during World War II. It grants the president sweeping powers to order the detention and deportation of citizens or natives of an "enemy" nation without following the usual processes. So far, of the 261 Venezuelans deported to a mega jail in El Salvador, 137 were removed under the Alien Enemies Act. The move has sparked criticism from human rights groups.
For Context: This is the first time Trump has used this act, although he has mentioned it in the past. In his inaugural address, he stated he would use the act to "eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to US soil."
How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) highlighted Trump's commitment to eliminating criminal networks causing devastation on U.S. soil. Associated Press (Lean Left) wrote that the argument over whether "illegal immigration constitute(s) an invasion" is an "untested" one, and noted that a federal judge halted the order for deportations hours later. Editor's Note: a previous version of this summary referred to "illegal" immigrants. AllSides uses "unauthorized" to describe people who are in the US without legal status.
Revised by the AllSides staff (of humans) after a first draft from our custom AI. Learn more.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters
More than 200 Venezuelans alleged by the White House to be gang members have been deported from the US to a notorious mega-jail in El Salvador.
Out of the 261 people deported, 137 were removed under the Alien Enemies Act, a senior administration official told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.
This broad, centuries-old law was invoked by President Donald Trump. He accused Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) of "perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion" on US territory.
The move has been criticised by rights groups,...
President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang. Hours later, a federal judge halted deportations under Trump’s order.
The act is a sweeping wartime authority that allows non-citizens to be deported without being given the opportunity to go before an immigration or federal court judge.
Trump repeatedly hinted during his campaign that he would declare extraordinary powers to confront illegal immigration and laid additional groundwork in a slew...
Hours after President Donald Trump invoked a wartime law to target terrorist organization Tren de Aragua (TdA) Saturday, a federal judge ruled the law could not be used to deport five Venezuelans and ordered the plane they were believed to be on to return to the U.S.
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, has been invoked three times, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.
All Venezuelan citizens 14 years or older who are...
AllSides Picks
Headline Roundup
British Teen's Death Sparks Protests, Split Media Narratives on Race and Policing
June 4th, 2026
.webp)
Headline Roundup
Trump Names Bill Pulte Acting Intel Director, Media & GOP React in Mixed Fashion
June 3rd, 2026
