Friend, this is a long email. That’s because when it comes to Trump’s immigration agenda, and its connections to some of the worst episodes in U.S. history, there is a lot that we need to share.

The Alien Enemies Act: In 1942, the U.S. government invoked the Alien Enemies Act to justify the internment of people of Japanese descent.

In recent months, the Trump administration has abused this authority to unlawfully disappear hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious mega prison in El Salvador with no due process.

World War II-era Internment Camps, Guantanamo Bay, and McCarthyism — these are solemn lessons for our country to heed, not injustices to repeat. We know where this playbook leads, and we refuse to go back. Add your name to say: This stops with us.

Forced Registries: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first major U.S. law to restrict immigration based on race, targeting Chinese laborers who built our railroads. The law banned immigration from China and forced Chinese people in the U.S., including those born in the country, to register. The government also restricted their travel and ability to become U.S. citizens.

In 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is telling undocumented immigrants to “register” with the U.S. government or face criminal charges or detention and deportation. It's a clear attempt to entrap people and target them for deportation.

Assault on Free Speech: In the 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy led a witch hunt to accuse people of being Communist sympathizers. Thousands of immigrants and naturalized citizens were threatened with deportation because of suspected political connections.

In March 2025, DHS agents arrested and detained student activist and lawful permanent resident, Mahmoud Khalil, for exercising his First Amendment rights. The administration has since carried out other politically motivated arrests of students, detaining them without cause in remote detention centers in Louisiana that are notorious for rights violations.

Guantanamo: Guantanamo is a legal black hole where detainees may never get access to legal representation or due process. Since 2002, the U.S. government has imprisoned 780 Muslim men and boys there without due process. The use of Guantanamo to evade international human rights law dates back to the 1990s, when the U.S. held thousands of Haitian refugees in deplorable conditions.

In February 2025, the Trump administration began locking up migrants at Guantanamo. The administration has plans to build a mega-jail that can imprison up to 30,000 people on any given day.

If we don’t want to relive the past, we need to fight for our future.

NILC is standing against Trump's dangerous agenda — and we will not let our government repeat the worst episodes in our history. We need you with us, friend.

Thank you,

Heidi Altman
Vice President, Policy
National Immigration Law Center