Trump invokes sweeping wartime powers against violent Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua as he speeds up deportations
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act against the Tren de Aragua gang as he continues efforts to speed up deportations.
The Tren de Aragua gang is an international organised crime group from Venezuela – designated as terrorists by the US.
The 1798 Act was last used to justify the internment of Japanese-American civilians during World War 2.
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 gives gargantuan levels of authority to the Republican to target and remove undocumented immigrants.
In a presidential proclamation released on Saturday, the White House said many of Tren de Aragua have “unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States.”
Trump said in the proclamation: “All Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of TdA, are within the United States, and are not actually naturalized or lawful permanent residents of the United States are liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as Alien Enemies.”
The Trump administration looks to speed up the deportation of migrants affiliated with the Venezuelan gang.
It is designed as a law to be invoked if the US is at war with another country or a nation has invaded the US or threatened to do so.
The proclamation called for all of those subject to the measure to be arrested, detained and removed immediately.
But, a judge quickly blocked Trump from invoking the act and ordered any flights carrying the gang members to turn around with the order now set for a battle through the courts.
Tren de Aragua is a transnational criminal organisation and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization from Venezuela.
Believed to have over 5,000 members, Homeland Security officials labeled the group “high-threat,” according to US media reports.
It comes a mere few hours after it was revealed that Trump is set to introduce sweeping travel restrictions on 43 countries, including Russia and Belarus, in a dramatic immigration crackdown.
The proposed policy — yet to be finalized — divides nations into three categories, with some facing full visa suspensions and others subject to partial restrictions.
According to a memo seen by The New York Times, Russian visas will reportedly be “sharply restricted,” while Belarusian travelers could see their access to the U.S. heavily curtailed.
Nations on the list have been warned they will remain banned unless their governments “address deficiencies within 60 days.”
The draft policy names 11 countries – including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea – as facing the most severe restrictions, with full visa suspensions.
A second group of 10 nations would face partial suspensions affecting tourist, student, and immigration visas, with some exceptions.
A third group of 22 countries could also see visa issuance restricted if they fail to address security concerns.
These alleged issues include weak passport security, inadequate traveler data sharing, or the sale of citizenships to individuals from already-banned nations.
A U.S. official told The New York Times that the list could still change and has yet to receive final approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
‘Gold card’ visas
Trump previously announced he wants to begin selling gold card visas for $5million to foreigners who want to move to America and create jobs.
The US president revealed the immigration programme in late February, which could start in a matter of weeks.
He added it is possible Russian oligarchs could qualify for the gold cards, which were branded as “somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication”.
Trump said in the Oval Office: “We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that’s going to give you Green Card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship.
“Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.
“They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.
“And we think it’s going to be extremely successful and never been done before.”