Commentary

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem receives a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center CECOT with the Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro in Tecoluca, El Salvador, March 26, 2025. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour)
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is not merely a relic of a darker era in American history—it is a live wire capable of short-circuiting rights protected by US constitution. The act’s recent invocation by the Trump administration to summarily detain and forcibly disappear Venezuelan men into a notorious prison in El Salvador has pushed [...]