High Court View of Trump Using Alien Enemies Act Not Yet Clear, Professor Chin Tells L.A. Times

Professor Gabriel “Jack” Chin spoke to the Los Angeles Times for an April 9 story about how both the Trump administration and immigrant rights advocates praised the Supreme Court’s ruling that the U.S. could continue to deport immigrants under the 18th century Alien Enemies Act as long as detainees are given the right to challenge the government’s claim.

The decision did not decide the larger issue of whether this use of the Alien Enemies Act is constitutional. Chin told the Times that once a legal challenge to the act's makes it way to the Supreme Court, the court will show its true views.

“I am not worried yet,” he said.

Chin is a Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law and holder of the Edward L. Barrett Jr. Endowed Chair at UC Davis School of Law. He is a prolific and much-cited criminal and immigration law scholar whose work has addressed many of the most pressing social issues of our time.