2 months ago
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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA).
👥 Who’s Involved: The ACLU, the Trump administration, two Venezuelan migrants, and the Supreme Court.
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📍 Where & When: The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in New York after a related Supreme Court decision on Monday.
💬 Key Quote: “The AEA has only ever been a power invoked in time of war… It cannot be used here against nationals of a country—Venezuela—with whom the United States is not at war,” the ACLU claims.
⚠️ Impact: The lawsuit challenges the use of presidential powers to deport designated “alien enemies,” potentially affecting over 130 illegals already removed from the U.S.
IN FULL:
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) initiated a new lawsuit against the Trump administration on Tuesday, seeking to halt the deportation of two Venezuelan migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the litigation follows a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Monday that lifted a restraining order issued by Judge James Boasberg that prevented President Donald J. Trump from using the act to remove members of Tren de Aragua from the country. In addition, the Supreme Court determined that future challenges to deportation under the act must be filed with the lower court in the jurisdiction in which the migrant was detained.
In the filing, which asks U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein to block the deportation of two Venezuelan illegal immigrants, the ACLU argues that the Alien Enemies Act has historically only been deployed during wartime and not against foreign nationals from countries with which the United States is at peace. “The AEA has only ever been a power invoked in time of war, and plainly only applies to warlike actions: it cannot be used here against nationals of a country—Venezuela—with whom the United States is not at war, which is not invading the United States, and which has not launched a predatory incursion into the United States,” the filing contends.
Additionally, the ACLU accuses the Trump administration of violating the Supreme Court’s Monday ruling, which requires federal officials to provide those detained under the Alien Enemies Act with notice before they are deported. “Respondents seek to move Petitioners in secret, without due process, to a prison in El Salvador known for dire conditions, torture, and other forms of physical abuse—possibly for life,” the filing states, adding: “This has already borne out for over 130 individuals on March 15 who have lost all contact with their attorneys, family, and the world.”
The Trump White House has utilized the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the expulsion of illegal immigrants shown to be affiliated with violent criminal organizations and gangs like Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and El Salvador’s MS-13. Those detained and deported under the law are sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
Previously, Judge Hellerstein—presiding over the case—twice rejected President Trump’s attempts last year to move Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s so-called hush money prosecution against him to federal court.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledges U.S.-Central America teamwork to counter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence, secure the Panama Canal, and tackle shared threats like cartels and illegal immigration.
👥 Who’s Involved: Pete Hegseth, Central American leaders at CENTSEC, President Donald J. Trump, Panama’s government, and the CCP.
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📍 Where & When: Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC), Panama, April 9, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “We do not seek war with China, and war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form. But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere.” — Pete Hegseth.
⚠️ Impact: The U.S. will ramp up its military and diplomatic push to reclaim Panama Canal influence, deploying the USNS Comfort and reviving the Cold War-era Jungle School, signaling a bold stand against China’s regional encroachments.
IN FULL:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) in Panama that the U.S. will work together with Central America to beat back the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the region and address “shared threats.”
After first noting the Trump administration’s collaboration with Central American governments on combatting cartels and illegal immigration, Hegseth said, “[W]e have to recognize the threat that China poses to our countries, to our people, and to peace in this region.”
“China-based companies are capturing land [and] critical infrastructure in strategic sectors such as energy and telecommunications,” he continued, warning that “China’s military has too large of a presence in the Western Hemisphere.”
“They operate military facilities and ground stations to extend their reach into space. They exploit natural resources and land to fuel China’s global military ambitions. China’s factory fishing fleets are stealing food from our nations and from our people,” he observed, adding, “Make no mistake, Beijing is investing and operating in this region for military advantage and unfair economic gain.”
“We do not seek war with China, and war with China is certainly not inevitable. We do not seek it in any form. But together, we must prevent war by robustly and vigorously deterring China’s threats in this hemisphere,” he stressed.
In particular, he emphasized President Donald J. Trump’s determination that the Panama Canal, formerly controlled by the U.S., and its adjacent areas “cannot and will not be controlled by China.” He said the Trump administration is now “working closely with our partners in Panama to secure the canal and advance our mutual security interests” and that the American and Panamanian governments “together are taking it back from Chinese influence.”
Beyond Panama, Hegseth vowed the Trump administration would “work with every country here in this room to address our shared threats” and was “directing the United States Naval Ship Comfort,” a hospital ship, to deploy to Panama and the wider region later in 2025, alongside an expansion of military training, exchanges, and joint exercises.
The National Pulse previously reported that this will include reestablishing the famous Jungle School in Panama, which closed in 1999.
“We’re going to increase cooperation to deter threats, to seek opportunities to bolster our shared defense. That’s what CENTSEC, Panama 2025, is all about. Friends standing shoulder to shoulder with friends,” Hegseth said.
The National Pulse Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam has been on the ground with Hegseth in Panama, covering the landmark trip in person.
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