Donald Trump. (AFP Photo)
US President-elect Donald Trump during a rally in Colorado in October announced a plan called "Operation Aurora" to remove undocumented immigrants from the country. Trump added that he would invoke the centuries-old act called "Alien Enemies Act of 1798".
“We will send elite squads of ICE, Border Patrol and federal law enforcement officers to arrest and deport every last illegal alien gang member until there is not a single one left in this country,” Trump said.
In the same rally, Trump said that the death penalty should be used on any migrants who kill either a United States citizen or law enforcement officer.
What is the Alien Enemies Act of 1798?
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798, formed part of the Alien and Sedition Acts, was established during John Adam's presidency.
The act allows the US President to detain and deport the natives and citizens of another country, considered an enemy of the US during the wartime.
How many times was it used?
The act was first used during the War of 1812 against British nations. The act required them to report information such as their age, length of stay in the United States, occupation, family description and where they lived.
The act was then invoked by President Woodrow Wilson during World War I against the nationals of Central Powers that included the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria in 1918 and the act applied only to men. According to the National Archives, 6,000 German and other foreign nationals were placed in the camps during World War I.
The act was used for the third time during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt used it against Japanese, German and Italian nationals.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
Next Story
