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Senator Pham condemns federal invocation of Alien Enemies Act, cites historic abuses
Summary
Senator Pham used a remonstrance to condemn President Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, warned of circumvention of congressional war powers and compared the move to past federal abuses including the WWII internment of Japanese Americans.
Senator Pham used the Senate floor to condemn President Trump’s reported invocation of the Alien Enemies Act and to warn of historical parallels and constitutional concerns.
"I rise today to condemn President Trump's recent invocation of the Alien Enemies Act," Pham said, arguing the statute allows the president to imprison or deport nationals of a foreign country engaged in a declared war or invasion against the United States. She noted the act has been used only three times in U.S. history and warned that invoking it can circumvent Congress’s exclusive power to declare war.
Pham cited the wartime internment of Japanese Americans as a cautionary example, saying Oregonians "know the shameful history of our federal government misusing our laws to target Japanese Americans in the 1940s." She referenced local history, saying Portland-area Japanese Americans were among those forcibly relocated in 1942.
On the floor, Pham said the invocation "undermines the constitutional right of due process" and "threatens the balance of power that democracy rests on." Her remarks were delivered as a remonstrance; no formal Senate action on the federal matter was recorded.
The senator urged colleagues to defend the rule of law and observe constitutional limits on executive power.
