AAPI groups blast use of Alien Enemies Act for deportations

The Takeaways

• Deportation Despite Court Order: The Trump administration proceeded with the deportation of 300 Venezuelans despite a federal judge’s order blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act. The administration claimed the order came too late.
• Historical Parallels and Condemnation: Asian American civil rights groups condemned the deportations, drawing parallels to the use of the same law to justify the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. They criticized the administration for using this law to legitimize the violation of rights.
• Legal and Community Reactions: Japanese Americans in San Jose, one of just three Japantowns remaining in the U.S., expressed that the deportations are a painful reminder of WWII hysteria and criticized the lack of due process.

The Details:

Despite a federal judge’s order blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration proceeded with the deportation of 300 Venezuelans this weekend, reports USA Today.

Asian American civil rights groups immediately condemned the move-knowing the same law was used to justify the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II.

“Then, as now with Venezuelans, our government falsely characterized people of Japanese descent as a threat—an enemy—in an attempt to legitimize the massive, widescale violation of their rights,” said Bethany Li, executive director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York, in a statement sent to AsAmNews. “The administration’s willingness to deploy this 227-year-old law is an alarming indication of the extreme and dangerous steps the president is taking to accelerate the mass deportation of anyone he falsely denigrates as criminals, invaders, and terrorists.”

The Trump administration says it is targeting members of Tren de Aragua, saying they are invading the U.S.

James E. Boasberg, chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, moved with urgency to stop the Alien Enemies Act from being invoked.

“I do not believe I can wait any longer and am required to act,” he said during a Saturday night hearing of a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and Democracy Forward, reported the Los Angeles Times. “A brief delay in their removal does not cause the government any harm.”

However, the White House said it was too late to stop the deportations saying the judge’s order came too late.

“The Administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order. The order, which had no lawful basis, was issued after terrorist (Tren de Aragua) aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to CNN.

Japanese Americans in San Jose, CA, one of three Japantowns remaining in the United States, say the deportations are a painful reminder of the WWII hysteria that inspired the mass incarceration of their community.

“This Act is a wartime authority, and we are not at war, despite Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric against immigrants from Venezuela,” said San Jose Nikkei Resisters in an email to AsAmNews. “Without due process, Trump’s sweeping allegations are unproven, and to impose detention and deportation without evidence or lawful charges are the actions of a police state.”