President Donald Trump has declared that the United States of America is at war with certain immigrants in the US. While the President aboard Air Force Once, a reporter asked him about the backlash to his invoking of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, according to The Irish Star. The reporter said it has only been invoked 3 other times and they were all during times or war. To this, Trump responded in a shocking seven-word statement: Well this is a time of war. ALSO READ: Trump scraps key Biden-era policy that increased minimum wage for federal contractorsThe Aliens Enemies ActPresident Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang. Hours later, a federal judge halted deportations under Trump’s order.The act is a sweeping wartime authority that allows non-citizens to be deported without being given the opportunity to go before an immigration or federal court judge. Trump repeatedly hinted during his campaign that he would declare extraordinary powers to confront illegal immigration and laid additional groundwork in a slew of executive orders on January 20. Biden allowed millions of people, many of them criminals, many of them at the highest level... Other nations emptied their jails out into the United States. That's an invasion, and these are criminals, many, many criminals, murderers, drug dealers at the highest level, drug lords, people from mental institutions, Trump was quoted as saying by The Irish Star aboard Air Force One.ALSO READ: Prince Harry to be deported from US? Court orders release of UK royal's immigration files over drug use In that sense, this is war, he said.Trump added that this scenario is more dangerous than war, saying soldiers wear uniforms so they know who they're fighting. Upon making his proclamation Saturday, he 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. In blocking the order, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg said he is required to act.” He continued that: A brief delay in their removal does not cause the government any harm.”Originating in a South American prison, the Tren de Aragua gang accompanied millions of Venezuelans who fled their country in search of better living conditions after their economy collapsed ten years ago.ALSO READ: MAGA hat, polo shirt: Trump seen in golf attire while watching Yemen airstrike he orderedLast month, Trump and his supporters officially labeled the gang a foreign terrorist organization, making it the face of the supposed threat presented by illegal immigrants in the United States. Despite Venezuela's government's assertions that it has eradicated the criminal organization, authorities in a number of nations have confirmed arrests of Tren de Aragua members.What is Aliens Enemies Act?In 1798, as the United States braced for a potential war with France, Congress enacted a series of laws expanding federal authority. Among them was the Alien Enemies Act, designed to grant the president broad powers to detain and deport non-citizens during wartime, driven by concerns that immigrants might align with France.Since its passage, the act has been invoked only three times: during the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II.During World War II, amid widespread anti-foreigner sentiment, the act contributed to the legal justification for the mass internment of individuals of German, Italian, and especially Japanese descent. As a result, approximately 120,000 people of Japanese heritage—including U.S. citizens—were forcibly incarcerated.ALSO READ: As Tesla tanks, Musk’s chosen board chair stands strong as a badass woman in business worldFor years, Trump and his allies have argued that America is facing an “invasion” of people arriving illegally. Arrests on the U.S. border with Mexico topped 2 million a year for two straight years for the first time under President Joe Biden, with many released into the U.S. to pursue asylum. After hitting an all-time monthly high of 250,000 in December 2023, they plunged to less than 8,400 this February — the lowest levels since the 1960s.The act, Trump said in his inaugural address, would be a key tool in his immigration crackdown.“By invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, I will direct our government to use the full and immense power of federal and state law enforcement to eliminate the presence of all foreign gangs and criminal networks bringing devastating crime to U.S. soil,” he said. “As commander in chief, I have no higher responsibility than to defend our country from threats and invasions.”(With AP inputs)