John,

This week, for the first time since World War II, Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a law originally passed in 1798 to detain and deport foreign nationals during wartime. Then, he deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants without judicial review. Let’s be clear: this is a major shift in the standards of U.S. immigration enforcement.

The Alien Enemies Act allows the president to remove noncitizens without the opportunity to appear before an immigration judge. Trump’s administration labeled members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as an “invading force” to justify their removal, but no evidence of criminal activity was provided because the people deported weren’t given a fair trial.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the deportations, but by the time the order was issued, the planes carrying the deportees had already taken off. Trump’s administration ordered the flights to continue despite the court’s ruling.

Trump’s move is a major red flag: it’s a dramatic expansion of executive power over immigration, bypassing due process and disregarding the decisions of our courts. We’re calling on Congress to act and make sure immigration enforcement follows constitutional protection. Will you join us and sign on now?

The stakes are high here. Trump’s recklessness can’t go unchecked.

Thanks for signing on.

— Democratic Values