WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump has announced the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used wartime law, to address what he describes as an urgent threat from transnational gangs. The move comes as a federal judge has temporarily halted its implementation.

Trump stated, "To expedite removals of trendy Paraguay and other savage gangs like MS-13, which is equally vicious, I will invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798." He emphasized the need to defend the American people from these threats.

The Trump legal team argues that a Venezuelan criminal organization, trained Tren De Aragua, has infiltrated the Venezuelan government and poses a national security threat to the United States. However, the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward have filed a lawsuit, contending that the Alien Enemies Act cannot be applied to nationals of a country, such as Venezuela, with which the U.S. is not at war.

A federal judge has issued a 14-day restraining order to prevent further deportations under the act. This order has been mocked by El Salvador's president, who recently posted a video showing the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization being housed in his country's prison system, funded by $6 million from the United States.

The Trump administration has already appealed the restraining order, and the case is expected to be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. Critics argue that existing tools are sufficient to remove undocumented, violent individuals from the country without resorting to the Alien Enemies Act.

President Trump and his team continue to test the boundaries of executive power, with the U.S. Supreme Court often allowing the president to determine national security threats.

Editor's Note: The National News Desk's Kristine Frazao contributed to this report.