Trump Invokes 1798 Alien Enemies Act, Orders Venezuelan Gang Members Quickly Deported

Tren de Aragua ‘is perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States,’ Trump said.

A military flight carrying illegal immigrant members of the Tren de Aragua gang to Guantanamo Bay prepares to depart, in El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2025. Department of Homeland Security

President Donald Trump on March 15 invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798—a law allowing for quick deportation of foreigners during times of war or invasion—and ordered the immediate arrest and removal from the United States of all Venezuelan nationals deemed to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who are now considered “alien enemies.”

Trump issued a proclamation invoking the Act with regard to the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, which was earlier designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.