Last used after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor to intern Japanese as well as other nations citizens.
Quote:
The Alien Enemies Act goes into effect "whenever there shall be a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by any foreign nation or government."
Under the act, the president publicly declares that "all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government' may be detained, relocated, or removed from the Unites States as alien enemies." After the proclamation, the act specifies "it shall be the duty of the several courts of the United States, and of each state, having criminal jurisdiction" to apprehend aliens for court appearances.
The Alien Enemies Act has been used during three conflicts: the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. Whether it could be used outside of a declared war, or against parties other than a nation or foreign government, has been a matter of recent debate since the act's clear language restricts its use in narrow ways.
Breaking: President Trump to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act Per CNN
— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) March 13, 2025
