President Donald Trump took his most dramatic step to claim executive powers in his eighth week in office, invoking the Alien Enemies Act to begin deporting noncitizens without giving them a chance to go before a judge.
The 1798 law has been invoked only three other times: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. The last time it was used as part of the legal rationale for Japanese internment camps.
Here’s a mostly complete look at what else the Trump administration has done over the last seven days:
• Invoked the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
• Denied that it violated a court order temporarily blocking the deportations, arguing it “had no lawful basis.”
• Deported a 10-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer and her family to Mexico after detaining them on their way to one of her medical checkups.
• Claimed that pardons of House Jan. 6 committee members and some others by then-President Joe Biden were now “void.”
• Ruled out an exemption for Australia on steel and aluminum tariffs, as the European Union announced retaliatory trade actions.
• Threatened to double steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada if Ontario added surcharges to electricity sold to the U.S.
• Fired 1,300 workers from the Education Department, effectively gutting an agency he’s vowed to shut down.
• Announced that another 1,000 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workers will be laid off.
• Put 1,300 staffers at the Voice of America on paid leave amid plans to shutter the news agency, which was set up during World War II.
• Passed a spending bill with $485 million more for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and nearly $1 billion in cuts to the budget of Washington, D.C.
• Made plans to fire workers who preserve and maintain 26,000 works of art owned by the U.S. government.
• Promoted Tesla on the White House lawn and said vandalism against the company will be treated as domestic terrorism.
• Disbanded two federal committees tasked with advising policymakers on food safety.
• Expelled the South African ambassador for criticizing the Trump administration, calling him “persona non grata.”
• Withdrew a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nominee who had questioned the measles vaccine.
• Reversed more than 100 terminations of leases for federal buildings around the country.
• Threatened to impose a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and liquor amid a trade war with the European Union.
• Lost in court as two judges ordered the administration to reinstate thousands of fired federal workers.
• Deported a kidney transplant doctor and professor even though a judge had issued an order blocking it.
• Launched investigations into 52 universities, accusing them of “racial preferences” for diversity efforts.
• Threatened to pull federal funding to Columbia University unless it overhauls admissions and cedes control of academic departments. • Faced a major protest as demonstrators took over Trump Tower to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil. • Was sued by a group of Democratic state attorneys general over efforts to dismantle the Education Department. • Directed military officials to draw up options for increasing the troop presence in Panama, according to two U.S. officials. • Asked the Supreme Court to narrow court orders so that it can put into effect a new policy against birthright citizenship. • Terminated $20 billion worth of Biden-era grant agreements to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects. • Refused, in confirmation hearings for Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid, to commit to not cut Medicaid. • Sued, through various entities affiliated with Trump, Capital One bank for closing accounts after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. • Delivered a highly politicized speech claiming he was persecuted to officials at the Justice Department. • Argued in that speech that reporting by independent news outlets is biased and should be “illegal.” • Promoted Steak ‘n Shake beef tallow-cooked fries in an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. • Said, in an interview with the commerce secretary, that Trump’s policies would be “worth it” even if they led to a recession. • Fired a pardon attorney who said she believes she was ousted because she refused to restore Mel Gibson’s right to carry a gun. • Made plans for a registry that would require Canadians staying in the U.S. for longer than a month to get fingerprinted. • Criticized The Wall Street Journal by saying it’s “owned by the polluted thinking of the European Union.” Subscribe to Trump’s First 100 Days newsletter for weekly updates on and expert insight into the key issues and figures defining his second term.
Ryan Teague Beckwith is a newsletter editor for MS NOW.
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