CNN political analyst Ellie Honig questioned President Trump about his recent assertion that the 1798 Alien Enemy Act was used to speed up the deportation of Venezuelan immigrants allegedly linked to gang activity.
Trump referred reporters to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stating that Rubio “does an amazing job, he wants them, and we want to go with it… we want to drive criminals out of our country.”
Asked about his views, the president did not confirm or deny signing the declaration, leading Honig to suggest that if true, it would be a “big problem” since the law requires a presidential declaration.
A four-page declaration, which appears to bear Trump’s signature, was submitted to the Federal Register, honig noted.
Honig’s criticism stems from the administration’s argument over whether the law is legal under the 18th century law, with the administration resisting US District Judge James Boasberg’s attempts to stop the deportation flight, citing national security concerns.
A federal judge was attacked by the administration for violating his orders and demanded that the plane be redirected, with officials arguing that Boasberg had no right to intervene because the flight was outside US airspace when the order was made.
The judge later vowed to “get to the bottom” of the matter after the Justice Department resisted his demand for details on the flight, citing national security concerns and accusations of an invasion of administrative authority powers.
Honig seems to agree with the judge, citing “some flaws” in the administration’s argument to call the law.
“First of all, an invasion is necessary, and it must be from a foreign government… And when you look at the declarations he probably signed or didn’t, Donald Trump tries to summarize the highly-stretched argument that ‘Yes, this was an invasion, yes, it was somehow linked to the Venezuelan government.’ “
He acknowledged that most people don’t want violent criminals in the country, but people in the US could be illegally deported under normal laws.
“But instead, they use this 1798 law, and they are extending their definitions beyond all beliefs,” he continued. “And that’s why Judge Boasberg expressed his skepticism today.”
