PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime authority that allows the president greater leeway on policy and executive action to expedite mass deportations of immigrants. Local grassroots organizations are preparing for what’s next.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three times, the last being during the 1940s in World War II. It was part of the legal rationale for mass detention of nearly 120,000 people of German, Italian and especially Japanese heritage in the United States during the war.
In his proclamation on Saturday, Trump identified Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang as an invading force, and the reason for reinstating the law.
Immigration advocates say their communities are afraid. Nancy Nguyen, the executive director of VietLEAD, a grassroots organization in the tri-state area that works to improve civic engagement for the Vietnamese and Southeast Asian communities, said unlawful deportations are already happening in Philadelphia.
“That on top of, you know, folks in our community that we know who have been detained and without any, without due process, already deported to Panama, for example,” said Nguyen. “It just feels like Trump is using all the levers he has access to, to harm our communities”
The act is a sweeping wartime authority that allows non-citizens to be deported without appearing before an immigration or federal court judge.
“I am genuinely horrified... you know, the headline reads that Trump has invoked an 18th century law towards his efforts of mass deportation,” said Nguyen. “Folks in our community are already scared, and this — it just gets worse and worse every day."
Nguyen also mentioned the lack of vocal support from local leaders, including the Mayor.
“The silence is deafening, and it leaves it up to other actors such as our city council members, our community organizations to put out a message to our communities that they're not alone,” she said.
“I think that it is long overdue for our mayor to say more, to do more, to use everything in her power to make clear why and how Philadelphia remains a home to our community members, and she hasn't."
For now, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg blocked anyone from being deported under Trump's proclamation Saturday night for two weeks. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for March 21.