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U.S. President Donald Trump said he planned to invoke the Alien Enemies Act as part of his pledge to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally. Below is a look at the act and how it has been used in the past.

This rarely used law, created during tensions with France, allows the president to deport or detain individuals from hostile foreign nations who may pose a national security threat during wartime or in the event of an invasion.