Deborah Archer President at American Civil Liberties Union | Official website
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Democracy Forward, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. The legal action challenges President Trump's anticipated use of the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate mass deportations during peacetime.
The Alien Enemies Act, enacted in 1798, grants wartime powers to the president to apprehend and remove citizens from foreign countries engaged in declared wars or invasions against the United States. The lawsuit alleges that President Trump plans to invoke this act unlawfully in peacetime, bypassing established immigration laws and protections.
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and lead counsel, stated: "The Trump administration’s intent to use a wartime authority for immigration enforcement is as unprecedented as it is lawless. It may be the administration's most extreme measure yet, and that is saying a lot."
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, added: "The United States is not at war, nor has it been invaded. The president’s anticipated invocation of wartime authority — which is not needed to conduct lawful immigration enforcement operations — is the latest step in an accelerating authoritarian playbook."
Arthur Spitzer, senior counsel at the ACLU of the District of Columbia, remarked: "There is no foreign military action to justify President Trump’s intended invocation of this act, making his actions not only unlawful but an outright assault on fundamental rights."
This lawsuit highlights concerns over what these organizations see as an overreach by the administration aimed at implementing a large-scale deportation program without proper judicial oversight.
