The Take: What Trump's Alien Enemies Act means for the US today
US President Donald Trump invokes the Alien Enemies Act and deports hundreds more seeking refuge in the United States.
20 Mar 2025
By invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, United States President Donald Trump launched a constitutional showdown and sent aspiring Americans to El Salvador to some of the worst prisons in the world. After putting the law on pause, a federal judge is questioning the legality of these deportations, leaving many in the US to wonder what's next.
In this episode:
Pablo Manriquez (@MigrantInsider), Editor at Migrant Insider
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Sonia Bhagat, Sarí el-Khalili, and Ashish Malhotra, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Khaled Soltan, Hanah Shokeir, Melanie Marich, Remas Alhawari, and our guest host, Kevin Hirten. It was edited by Noor Wazwaz.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
Connect with us:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
5 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Live: Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn' after deadly missile barrage by Iran
Iran and Israel trade missiles and air strikes as the conflict that's killed dozens escalates with no end in least 80 people – including 20 children – have been killed in Iran and four in Israel, with hundreds wounded on both sides in the ongoing tit-for-tat President Donald Trump has lauded Israel's premeditated assault and warned of much worse to come unless Iran quickly accepts the sharp downgrading of its nuclear Iran-US nuclear talks is unjustifiable while 'barbarous' Israeli attacks persist on the country, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Israeli military says its air strikes on Iran killed more than 20 Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards commanders. Update: Date: 34s ago (15:10 GMT) Title: Blasts heard in more than 10 Iranian cities Content: Iran and Israel are currently striking each other. Explosions have been heard in more than 10 Iranian cities, where attacks are reported to take place. Part of those blast sounds could be related to targets being hit, and others could be air defences being activated. Iranian officials say the country will continue its retaliatory action against Israel. So far, we have heard ballistic missiles being launched from Iran to Israeli targets as well as drone attacks. The Iranian people's sentiment over what is going on is mixed. Different people I talked to say they are angry, as some of the targets hit in Iran are not necessarily military or nuclear – they are rather residential buildings. There is also anxiety and fear among the people. Weeks ago, they were very hopeful when Iran started the trajectory of talks with the US that could pave the way to de-escalation of the situation. Now, with the new developments, everybody has doubts. Update: Date: 5m ago (15:05 GMT) Title: Here's what's been happening Content: Here are the main developments over the last few hours: Update: Date: 10m ago (15:00 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Thanks for tuning in to our coverage of the situation between Iran and Israel. Stay here for up-to-the-minute coverage of Israel's attacks on Iran and Iran's barrages of missiles in reply. You can find all our updates from the last day and a half of hostilities here.
Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran-Israel tensions and an unpredictable Trump to dominate G7
The unfolding Israel-Iran conflict will 'immensely' dominate the upcoming gathering of the leaders of the Group of Seven, not just because of the dangers of further escalation, but also because of the 'sheer uncertainty' of United States policy under President Donald Trump, experts say. The informal G7 grouping of the world's seven advanced economies is set to meet from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Holding the current presidency of the G7, Canada is hosting this year. While the agenda items will change in importance, depending on how things evolve in the Middle East, the latest crisis is already set to shift focus from what was expected to be a platform for host Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to showcase his leadership at home and to a global audience. The G7 countries include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union. In addition, the host country typically invites the heads of a handful of other countries, usually because they are deemed important to global and economic affairs. Canada has invited India, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine along with a few others. Carney is likely to have been hoping to avoid a repeat of the last time US President Donald Trump attended – also in Canada – in 2018. That was when he refused to sign the final communique – which G7 countries usually issue in a show of unity at the end of the summit – and left early, calling then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'very dishonest and weak'. As a result of that spectacle, Carney was planning not to press for a joint communique at all this year – instead he was gearing up to write his own 'chair's summary' and seek agreement on a set of specific issues. Presenting an image of unity against a backdrop of looming, aggressive US trade tariffs, is the main aim. But Robert Rogowsky, professor of trade and economic diplomacy at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said there is no way G7 members can avoid the subject of the latest crisis in the Middle East, which was triggered by a massive Israeli assault on military and nuclear sites in Iran on early Friday morning – and has since prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran. The US said it was not involved in the Israeli strike on Iran, but Trump told reporters on Friday that it was informed of the attack in advance. 'That attack, counterattack, and the US declaration that it was not involved and its warning about staying away from American assets as targets is likely to be the first thing discussed, as it now creates the possibility of a real, all-out war in the Middle East. The major neighbouring parties will have to decide how to align themselves,' Rogowsky said. The G7 'was designed to be a crisis response group with the ability to act and adapt quickly to international challenges … so in some ways, it's good they're meeting this weekend as they'll have the ability to respond quickly', said Julia Kulik, director of strategic initiatives for the G7 Research Group, among others, at Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Even before this latest flare-up, the G7 in its 51st year comes 'at a hinge moment because of economic disruptions and but also because of geopolitical shifts,' said Vina Nadjibulla, vice president and head of research at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Nadjibulla was referring to the global tariffs unleashed earlier this year by Trump as well as a shifting foreign policy for the US under his leadership, with old alliances no longer cared for, as well as an 'America First' message. Against that backdrop, 'Prime Minister Carney has been trying to meet the moment and be as purposeful as possible,' Nadjibulla added, pointing to the list of priorities Canada announced last week ahead of the summit. That list focuses on strengthening global peace and security, including by countering foreign interference and transnational crime, as well as improving responses to wildfires; spurring economic growth by improving energy security, and bringing in public-private partnerships to spur investments. The priorities announced, important domestically but also internationally, are a 'testament' to Carney's intentions, and 'building the economy is front and centre', said Nadjibulla. Conversations on global peace would have focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Israel's war on Gaza but attention will now pivot to Iran, said Kulik, 'and there will be tough questions from other leaders around the table to Donald Trump about what went wrong with the negotiations and about what he's going to do to get Israel to de-escalate before things get worse'. Experts were already on the lookout for flare-ups at the upcoming three-day event with the mercurial Trump in attendance. 'His reactions are very emotional and performative, so it could be any of those and that could decide the dynamics of the G7,' said Rogowsky. 'If he comes in wanting to build some bridges, then it could be a success, but if he wants to make a point, and this is another world wrestling federation for him, then [it can go anywhere]. With Trump, it's a coin flip.' But despite the Iran-Israel face-off, the G7 will still be an opportunity for Carney to set the tone at a complex time of tariff wars and slowing domestic and global economies. He is also aware that Canada has to 'up its political game' and find new ways of boosting its economy and security. That is particularly visible in the invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Canada has had diplomatic tensions with India over the 2023 killing of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil in the recent past. This shows that Carney is aware that to make progress on his agenda items, he will 'need to work with countries that you may have disagreements with, but you can't let those issues dictate the big picture,' said Nadjibulla. 'Carney is setting the stage for a consequential meeting.' Rogowsky added: 'Carney is a globalist and wants to allow Canada to become a force in unity, in a multilateral system. I see him as taking on a role as a bridge builder. Maybe he's the one guy who can pull this off.' At the same time, he said, 'it will be interesting to see how the other leaders approach Trump. Will it be a case of kowtow to the ruler, or he's the bully on the playground and we're going to stand up to him.' For Rogowsky, the 'cayenne pepper' in the meeting is the expected presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was berated by Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in the White House on live television for not being 'grateful' enough for US assistance. The three-day event follows initial meetings in May between finance ministers and central bank governors belonging to G7 countries in Banff.
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Iran says nuclear talks with US ‘meaningless' as Trump pushes for a deal
Iran says dialogue over its nuclear programme with the United States is 'meaningless' after Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against Iran, which Tehran accuses Washington, DC, of supporting. 'The other side [the US] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime [Israel] to target Iran's territory,' Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency quoted its foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Saturday. The US has denied the Iranian allegation of being complicit in Israel's attacks and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be 'wise' to negotiate over its nuclear programme. US President Donald Trump has called the Israeli attacks on Iran 'excellent' after initially warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against action that could jeopardise nuclear talks. Trump on Friday framed the volatile conflict with Israel as a possible 'second chance' for Iran's leadership to avoid further destruction 'before there is nothing left and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire'. The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Oman, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes. 'It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday,' Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Baghaei as saying on Saturday. Iran denies that its uranium enrichment programme is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons. Netanyahu has pledged to continue the attacks for 'as many days as it takes' to stop Iran from developing a 'nuclear threat'. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had warned Iran's leaders that 'it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come'. 'And they [Israelis] know how to use it,' he added. Trump has blamed Iran for rejecting US proposals on uranium enrichment and has warned of more brutal Israeli strikes to come. But Hamed Mousavi, professor of political science at Tehran University, told Al Jazeera that many Iranians think it is indeed meaningless to continue nuclear talks with the US when they are being bombed. 'The Israelis essentially killed the diplomatic solution and what was surprising was the Americans were fully coordinating with the Israelis in that regard. So I think it's unlikely the negotiations will continue,' he said. Mousavi said the mood in Iran is 'pretty defiant' and does not seem to support Israeli goals of a regime change in Tehran. 'The Israelis were really expecting some sort of protest or riots in the Iranian capital by the Iranian people. That hasn't happened so far. We don't know if it's going to happen in the future, but the mood right now is actually pretty defiant. I don't really see that many Iranians sympathising with the Israelis.'
