A federal judge in Pennsylvania has sided with the Trump administration in its invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport illegal immigrants that are part of gangs that have been designated as terrorist organizations.
Judge Stephanie L Haines for the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania wrote, "As the Court stressed at the beginning of this Opinion, this case implicates significant issues. In resolving those issues, this Court’s unflagging obligation is to apply the law as written. When the Court does so, it finds that the Proclamation now at issue complies with the [Alien Enemies Act], and the Court further finds that Respondents must provide greater notice to those subject to removal under the AEA than they are currently providing."
"Having done its job, the Court now leaves it to the Political Branches of the government, and ultimately to the people who elect those individuals, to decide whether the laws and those executing them continue to reflect their will," she concluded.
Haines wrote in relation to the proclamation issued by Trump in March invoking the Act, "the Proclamation and the Declarations that Respondents have submitted to this Court indicate that there is factual basis for President Trump’s conclusions in the Proclamation."
"Most of all, the Proclamation references the fact that the Secretary of State has designated TdA as an FTO pursuant to Title 8, United States Code, Section 1189, a designation that heavily supports the conclusions within the Proclamation that TdA is a cohesive group united by a common goal of causing significant disruption to the public safety of the United States."
"Therefore, for all of the foregoing reasons, the Court finds that the Proclamation meets the definition of 'predatory incursion' under the AEA, and the Court finds that ASR has not shown a likelihood of success on the merits on the issue."
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Alien Enemies Act Judge Haines by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd