The law lets the president skip the usual immigration court process to detain and deport anyone age 14 or older who is from or the citizen of a “hostile nation or government.”

President Donald Trump has 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.

A federal judge issued an order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday, preventing the administration from using the wartime act to remove Venezuelan illegal immigrants who were believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang.