Politics

‘An Old Law?’: Tom Homan Swiftly Shuts Down Reporter With Legal Lesson

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2025

Tom Homan delivered a sharp response to a reporter who questioned the legality of President Donald Trump’s recent use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which marked the first time the law has been invoked since World War II.

During a press briefing Monday, a reporter challenged Homan, asking, “What do you say to those saying you’re using a 200-year-old law to circumvent due process?”

Homan’s response was swift and cutting. “An old law? Not as old as the Constitution, and we still pay attention to that, don’t we?” he fired back, leaving no room for doubt about the legitimacy of Trump’s executive action.

Over the weekend, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to order the detention and deportation of Venezuelan nationals suspected of being members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) prison gang. The violent organization, which has terrorized South America for years, has expanded its presence in the United States amid the border crisis under President Joe Biden.

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“Tren de Aragua is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with thousands of members, many of whom have unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States,” Trump stated in his proclamation.

Once a minor presence in the U.S., Tren de Aragua has flourished amid mass illegal immigration, with its ranks swelling as over 10 million illegal aliens entered the country during Biden’s presidency. The gang has been linked to a series of violent crimes, including murder, kidnapping, and extortion.

Notably, in 2023, an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, was effectively taken over by the gang, drawing national attention to the severity of the crisis. Law enforcement agencies in Latin America have also tied the gang to money laundering, contract killings, human trafficking, and organized retail theft across the region.

Phoenix, Arizona – December 22, 2024: President Trumps appointed border czar, Tom Homan at AmericaFest.

The Alien Enemies Act, part of the Alien and Sedition Acts signed into law by President John Adams, grants the president the power to detain and deport non-citizens from hostile nations during times of war or national emergency. The last time it was used was in World War II to detain enemy aliens from Axis nations.

Trump, after consultation with Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization on February 20. Following this designation, he invoked the Alien Enemies Act to order the immediate removal of any non-citizen Venezuelan migrant, 14 years or older, deemed to be associated with TdA.

Predictably, Trump’s decisive action was met with immediate legal challenges. Just hours after the order was issued, a federal judge temporarily blocked its enforcement. The lawsuit, filed by five Venezuelan men in immigration detention, claimed that the president was violating due process protections.

Chief Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a temporary restraining order preventing their deportation for 14 days. The Department of Justice swiftly appealed the ruling.

“I’m proud to be a part of this administration. We’re not stopping,” Homan told Fox News on Monday.

“I don’t care what the judges think. I don’t care.”