The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging that assertion in the courts, condemning the administration’s actions as “lawless”.
“We’re on very dangerous ground here,” said Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the nonprofit, which provides legal representation.
“If the administration is allowed to use wartime authorities any time it wants to remove people, I think we are going to see more and more people being subjected to the Alien Enemies Act and a blurring of wartime authority with domestic authority.”
However, advocates are struggling to contain Trump’s legal defiance, with the president having called for the impeachment of the judge who ruled against his deportation plans.
ARE TRUMP’S MEASURES WORKING?
Analysts said although Trump’s immigration policies may be under legal scrutiny, they appear to be working.
“At this point, I see it as a very effective strategy. We may question the morality of it, and the humanitarian aspects of it. We may even say that it’s a very cruel strategy,” said Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute’s Center for the US and Mexico.
“But at the end of the day, I think Mexico and the US have worked in lockstep and sealed the border.”
