A U.S. appeals court has dismissed a case that challenged the Trump administration's use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals accused of being members of Venezuelan gangs. The court's decision does not resolve the question of whether the former president's administration lawfully applied the wartime law in these deportations.
The Alien Enemies Act, enacted in 1798, allows the government to detain, remove, and control non-citizens during times of declared war or invasion. The challenge centered on the administration's interpretation and application of this law to deport individuals, including alleged members of the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs, who had been removed from the U.S. to El Salvador.
The specific ruling means the legal arguments against the use of the act for these deportations were not heard on their merits by the appeals court. The case's dismissal means the core legal question regarding the application of the Alien Enemies Act in this context remains unaddressed at the appellate level.