There has been talk lately about the Alien Enemies Act. Specifically by Trump and in regard to immigrants.

The Brennan Center has a high rating for factual reporting and they break down the history and use of this Alien Enemies Act in the article linked below this excerpt from the Brennan Center’s “The Briefing” email.

In 1798, Congress passed the Alien and Sedition Acts. These laws criminalized dissent, abused civil liberties, and violated the Constitution. They are among the most notorious laws in history. One is still on the books, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

The law has only been used three times: During the War of 1812. During World War I. And most notoriously, to imprison tens of thousands of innocent noncitizens of Japanese, German, and Italian descent in internment camps during World War II.

Thomas Jefferson decried the Alien and Sedition Acts as part of a “reign of witches.” Recently, Donald Trump called the last of these laws something else. Let’s call it Project 1798.

This past weekend, Trump pledged to launch “Operation Aurora,” a plan to deploy the military on U.S. soil to seize, detain, and deport immigrants he deems dangerous. “Can you imagine? Those were the old days when they had tough politicians, have to go back that long,” he told a rally on Saturday. “Think of that, 1798. Oh, it’s a powerful act. You couldn’t pass something like that today.”

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained

The claims being made by Trump and Vance are not only completely bogus, they are directly hurting innocent people.

“Over the weekend, two hospitals in Springfield were locked down after bomb threats, police said. Other threats received by Springfield officials have forced government buildings to close, two elementary schools to be evacuated and the students moved to a different location, and a middle school to shut down altogether.”

“After JD Vance first began spreading baseless rumors about Haitians in Springfield, members of the neo-Nazi group “Blood Tribe” marched into the city carrying guns, wearing body armor, and carrying Neo-Nazi flags. At an August 27 town hall meeting, one claimed that the city had been taken over by “degenerate third worlders,” blamed Jews for the influx, and warned that “crime and savagery will only increase with every Haitian you allow in.”

“Springfield’s Haitian immigrants say they are afraid. Some have kept their children home from school, fearing violence. Others have reported harassment on the street, in their cars, and at stores. A Springfield family whose son died last year when the bus in which he was riding accidentally collided with a car driven by a Haitian immigrant has pleaded for Trump and Vance to stop using their deceased son for political purposes.”

“Trump is now talking about holding a rally in Springfield. ‘We’re going to get these people out,’ Trump said in a Friday news conference. Although Springfield’s Haitian immigrants are in the United States legally, he promised to stage ‘the largest deportation in the history of our country’ if reelected.”

“Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, told CBS News on Wednesday that “these Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of jobs. And if you talk to employers, they’ve done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard.”

“Another of Trump’s bogus claims is now threatening legal immigrants in Aurora, Colorado, a Denver suburb that Trump has repeatedly asserted is being “taken over” by Venezuelan criminals. “Simply not true,” Aurora’s Republican mayor and city council member wrote in a joint statement.

“As in Springfield, Trump’s baseless claims are harming innocent people in Aurora. Immigrants there say they have been told their nationality makes them ineligible for jobs or housing. Trump’s claims have led to threats and drawn armed groups to the city, claiming to offer vigilante-style protection.

“Trump and Vance are using the oldest of tyrannical ploys — fueling deep-seated fears by creating an “other” — depicted as subhuman — who “take over” towns and “devour” loved ones.”

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-hate-is-no-joke-opinion/ar-AA1qEk70

Talk about a waste of public money and rather direct voter intimidation! Voter fraud is rare, generally individual cases, and is usually caught, but DeSantis created a state police force to “investigate voter fraud.” But it ends up being used to intimidate non-Republican voters in the spurious guise of looking for fraud.

“State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language.

“Critics say they’re the latest efforts by Florida’s Republican elected officials to leverage state resources to try to block the abortion rights measure, moves which some Democratic officials argue could violate state laws against voter intimidation.”

“Critics say the investigation is a brazen attempt to intimidate voters in the country’s third-largest state from protecting access to abortion — and the latest in a series of efforts by the governor’s administration to target Amendment 4.”

“DeSantis signed a law in 2022 creating a state police force dedicated to investigating voter fraud and elections crimes. Voter fraud is rare, typically occurs in isolated instances and is generally detected.

“He said elections police are going to the homes of people who signed the petitions that got Amendment 4 on the ballot not to intimidate them, but because questions have been raised about the legitimacy of the signatures. He said the police have found evidence that some of the supposed signatures were from dead people.”

Source: https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ballot-amendment-elections-police-cfd4e3479498e63e65f1116acd95f7be