Special Poll
President Donald Trump sidestepped questions on Friday about whether he personally signed the order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law from the 18th century, to deport Venezuelan nationals suspected of gang affiliations with the Tren de Aragua.
“We want to get criminals out of our country, number one. I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it,” Trump told reporters before leaving the White House. “Other people handled it.”
He added that key members of his administration supported the move and were aligned on the urgency to remove individuals with suspected criminal ties. “We want to get criminals out of our country,” the president said, reiterating his administration’s stance on border security and law enforcement.
Trump may have been referring to officials like border czar Tom Homan or Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom have defended the administration’s actions following a federal judge’s challenge. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg had recently ruled that the administration could not proceed under the Alien Enemies Act, questioning both the legal grounds and the timing of the order.
During a hearing, Boasberg criticized what he called a “late-night” or early-morning signing of the proclamation, suggesting the administration may have been trying to implement the policy before legal action could be taken to stop it. “It seems to me the only reason to do that is you know it’s a problem and you want to get them out of the country before a suit is filed,” he remarked.
Despite the president’s public uncertainty about the document’s signing, a four-page proclamation invoking the 1798 law has been filed with the Federal Register and lists the president as the signatory.
The use of the Alien Enemies Act, rarely invoked in modern times, has sparked debate over its applicability in the current immigration landscape. Still, the administration has remained firm in its goal to prioritize national security and public safety by removing individuals it deems a threat.