Team Trump Explores New Deportation Path In 'Alien Terrorist Removal' Court
The Trump administration is utilizing the secretive Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time to deport a suspected noncitizen. Established in 1996, the court allows for deportation proceedings where classified national security information is involved, though the process has faced scrutiny regarding transparency.
Why it matters
This move signals a shift toward using obscure legal mechanisms to expedite deportations, raising significant questions about due process and national security transparency.
The Donald Trump administration in the United States is tapping into a never-before-used dormant and secretive court to deport so-called "alien terrorists" from the United States. The US Justice Department filed the first-ever petition in the Alien Terrorist Removal Court's history last week, seeking to remove an unnamed noncitizen, the first use of a 30-year-old process that could give Washington a new tool for Trump's deportation agenda.The one-page filing at the court, established in 1996, does not name the person, the alleged crime of the defendant, or the part of the anti-terrorism law the department cited, according to a report by Axios. But during the Thursday hearing, the chief judge of the five-member court, Joan Ericksen, questioned the connection between the person's alleged actions and the law.
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