Donald Trump has called for the death penalty for migrants who kill Americans and plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that limits his ability to deport immigrants without court hearings. In a post on his Truth Social platform on May 16, Trump criticized the court’s decision that blocked his administration from using a 1798 wartime law to deport Venezuelan migrants who claimed they were not given adequate opportunities to contest their removals. He described the ruling as a “bad and dangerous day for America.”
Trump specifically pointed out that the Supreme Court’s decision would lead to more criminals entering the country and doing harm to American citizens, asserting, “The Supreme Court of the United States is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do.” He had earlier designated a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, as a “foreign terrorist organization,” allowing for their deportation to a mega-prison in El Salvador.
The court’s unsigned opinion emphasized that the migrants lacked sufficient time and information to defend their rights during the deportation process. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that the court did not have the authority to intervene at this stage.
According to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, by invoking the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration is engaging with powers typically reserved for national security issues, which marks a significant expansion of immigration enforcement practices. This move reflects Trump’s ongoing stance on immigration and border security amid ongoing legal and political debates surrounding these issues.
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