Appeals Court Considers Trump’s Ability to Deport Under Alien Enemies Act

Detainees argue the president is misusing his war powers and that their removal should be blocked.

A man walks in front of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, La., in an undated file photograph. Jonathan Bachman/AP Photo

A federal appeals court on Jan. 22 grappled with whether President Donald Trump may use the Alien Enemies Act to try to remove alleged members of a foreign terrorist group.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans held an hour-long oral argument in the extensively litigated case known as W.M.M. v. Trump.