What is the Alien Enemies Act?

By Tamara Keith,

Ximena Bustillo, Mara Liasson

Published March 18, 2025 at 9:14 AM EDT

The Trump administration used the 18th century law as justification for deporting hundreds of alleged gang members. Why was it invoked, and what does its use mean for future immigration action?

This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo, and senior national political correspondent Mara Liasson.

The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs & Kelli Wessinger and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.
Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.

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Tamara Keith

Tamara Keith has been a White House correspondent for NPR since 2014 and co-hosts the NPR Politics Podcast, the top political news podcast in America. Keith has chronicled the Trump administration from day one, putting this unorthodox presidency in context for NPR listeners, from early morning tweets to executive orders and investigations. She covered the final two years of the Obama presidency, and during the 2016 presidential campaign she was assigned to cover Hillary Clinton. In 2018, Keith was elected to serve on the board of the White House Correspondents' Association.

See stories by Tamara Keith

Ximena Bustillo

Ximena Bustillo is a multi-platform reporter at NPR covering politics out of the White House and Congress on air and in print.

Mara Liasson

Mara Liasson is a national political correspondent for NPR. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR's award-winning newsmagazine programs Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Liasson provides extensive coverage of politics and policy from Washington, DC — focusing on the White House and Congress — and also reports on political trends beyond the Beltway.

See stories by Mara Liasson