President Donald Trump is counting on the Supreme Court to ultimately confirm his power to deport mass numbers of illegal migrants, it was reported.
Trump’s methodically planned approach — led by deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, the president’s top domestic policy adviser — revolves around two cases: the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, Axios reported Wednesday.
The administration cited the Alien Enemies Act in the deportation of Venezuelan gang members and the Immigration and Nationality Act to detain anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil, who helped lead pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.
Civil rights groups on Monday sought “immediate clarification” from the Trump administration about weekend flights deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members from the U.S. despite a judge’s order, saying the U.S. government may have violated the court.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said the flight was already in international airspace, not U.S. territory, when the judge’s orders came and that more flights would continue.
Khalil, 30, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on March 8 outside his university residence in Manhattan. His lawyers have said he was targeted in retaliation for his role advocating for Palestinian rights, meaning the arrest violated free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
