President Donald Trump took his most dramatic step to claim executive powers in his eighth week in office, invoking the Alien Enemies Act to begin deporting noncitizens without giving them a chance to go before a judge.
The 1798 law has been invoked only three other times: during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. The last time it was used as part of the legal rationale for Japanese internment camps.
Here’s a mostly complete look at what else the Trump administration has done over the last seven days:
• Invoked the 18th century Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
• Denied that it violated a court order temporarily blocking the deportations, arguing it “had no lawful basis.”
• Deported a 10-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from brain cancer and her family to Mexico after detaining them on their way to one of her medical checkups.
• Claimed that pardons of House Jan. 6 committee members and some others by then-President Joe Biden were now “void.”
• Ruled out an exemption for Australia on steel and aluminum tariffs, as the European Union announced retaliatory trade actions.
• Threatened to double steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada if Ontario added surcharges to electricity sold to the U.S.
• Fired 1,300 workers from the Education Department, effectively gutting an agency he’s vowed to shut down.
• Announced that another 1,000 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration workers will be laid off.
• Put 1,300 staffers at the Voice of America on paid leave amid plans to shutter the news agency, which was set up during World War II.
• Passed a spending bill with $485 million more for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and nearly $1 billion in cuts to the budget of Washington, D.C.
• Made plans to fire workers who preserve and maintain 26,000 works of art owned by the U.S. government.
• Promoted Tesla on the White House lawn and said vandalism against the company will be treated as domestic terrorism.
• Disbanded two federal committees tasked with advising policymakers on food safety.
• Expelled the South African ambassador for criticizing the Trump administration, calling him “persona non grata.”
• Withdrew a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nominee who had questioned the measles vaccine.
• Reversed more than 100 terminations of leases for federal buildings around the country.
• Threatened to impose a 200% tariff on European wine, Champagne and liquor amid a trade war with the European Union.
• Lost in court as two judges ordered the administration to reinstate thousands of fired federal workers.
• Deported a kidney transplant doctor and professor even though a judge had issued an order blocking it.
• Launched investigations into 52 universities, accusing them of “racial preferences” for diversity efforts.
• Threatened to pull federal funding to Columbia University unless it overhauls admissions and cedes control of academic departments.
• Faced a major protest as demonstrators took over Trump Tower to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil.
• Was sued by a group of Democratic state attorneys general over efforts to dismantle the Education Department.
• Directed military officials to draw up options for increasing the troop presence in Panama, according to two U.S. officials.
• Asked the Supreme Court to narrow court orders so that it can put into effect a new policy against birthright citizenship.
• Terminated $20 billion worth of Biden-era grant agreements to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects.
• Refused, in confirmation hearings for Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid, to commit to not cut Medicaid.
• Sued, through various entities affiliated with Trump, Capital One bank for closing accounts after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
• Delivered a highly politicized speech claiming he was persecuted to officials at the Justice Department.
• Argued in that speech that reporting by independent news outlets is biased and should be “illegal.”
• Promoted Steak ‘n Shake beef tallow-cooked fries in an interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Said, in an interview with the commerce secretary, that Trump’s policies would be “worth it” even if they led to a recession.
• Fired a pardon attorney who said she believes she was ousted because she refused to restore Mel Gibson’s right to carry a gun.
• Made plans for a registry that would require Canadians staying in the U.S. for longer than a month to get fingerprinted.
• Criticized The Wall Street Journal by saying it’s “owned by the polluted thinking of the European Union.”
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