Trump Triggers Dormant Alien-Terrorist Court to Fast-Track Deportations

The Trump administration has activated the long-dormant Alien Terrorist Removal Court for the first time, submitting the initial application to deport an ‘alien terrorist’ or their immediate family; the filing is sealed and a sealed hearing was held by Judge Joan Ericksen, with an updated response due soon. The move signals a broader push to expand deportation authority, echoing earlier attempts to deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals by labeling them terrorists, though scholars question due-process concerns in the court’s secret-evidence framework. If approved, the target would receive a public hearing and any appeal would go to the D.C. Circuit.