Protest the Unlawful Detainment of Venezuelan Immigrants
As part of a crackdown on immigration, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 (AEA) in a proclamation authorizing the expedited removal of all Venezuelan noncitizens deemed to have ties to Tren de Aragua (TdA), a transnational criminal organization that Trump declared was perpetrating an invasion. The AEA is an obscure law that allows the president to deport noncitizens during wartime, and can only be invoked once Congress declares war. It has only been used 3 times in US history: during the War of 1812, World War I, and in World War II, when thousands of Japanese noncitizens were put into internment camps. A federal judge swiftly blocked Trump’s proclamation of the AEA and ordered flights carrying Venezuelan detainees to be turned around, but Trump administration officials defied the court’s orders and continued to hand over these immigrants to the El Salvador government where they were detained in CECOT, a notoriously dangerous and inhumane prison.
Judge Boasberg has not only questioned Trump’s use of the AEA for this particular non-wartime use, but has also raised concerns about the due process rights of the migrants being detained and sent to El Salvador. Many of the 261 deported Venezuelans have no criminal record or ties to TdA. Some were detained and deported simply because of their tattoos. Families and attorneys have no way to locate or contact some of the detainees. And legal experts fear there is no method of recourse to remove and return innocent men from El Salvador’s megaprison.
The Trump administration is using the AEA to round up and criminalize immigrants without cause or constitutionally-mandated due process, and there is real concern that US citizens could fall victim to this chaotic practice. Despite a federal court’s continued pushback, the Trump administration is more interested in impeaching the judge than complying with his orders. Trump’s invocation of the AEA is not only destroying the lives of innocent civilians, it is also creating a dangerous constitutional crisis.
Contacts for this topic:
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
I’m calling to demand [REP/SEN NAME] speak out against the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan immigrants without due process and against federal court orders. Ignoring a federal judge to invoke a wartime power during peacetime raises serious constitutional crisis concerns.
I ask that [REP/SEN NAME] subpoena the Trump administration officials responsible for these deportations, investigate the unlawful detainment of innocent immigrants, and hold the Trump administration accountable for their defiance of federal court orders.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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