The Trump administration has approached the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a temporary restraining order (TRO) that prevents it from deporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. This action is being challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Democracy Forward, and the ACLU of the District of Columbia, who argue that President Trump's use of this 1798 wartime act bypasses immigration law.
A federal appeals court recently upheld a TRO issued by a federal district court, rejecting the administration's request to lift it. Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and lead counsel, said, "We will urge the Supreme Court to preserve the status quo to give the courts time to hear this case, so that more individuals are not sent off to a notorious foreign prison without any process, based on an unprecedented and unlawful use of a wartime authority."
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, commented on the situation: "The president is not king. He cannot deport people without due process, and he cannot invoke wartime powers — used only three times in history — during peacetime without accountability." She emphasized that this issue transcends immigration policy and pertains to legal violations by the president.
Scott Michelman, legal director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia, added: "No president is above the law. Due process exists to protect everyone from abuse of power, and Trump is no exception. Misusing a centuries-old wartime statute to bypass immigration protections is as unprecedented as it is lawless."
The case in question involves allegations against President Trump for unlawfully invoking a centuries-old wartime act during peacetime to expedite mass deportations while circumventing established immigration laws.
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