Los Angeles, US (EFE).- The administration of the United States President Donald Trump is resorting to a legal procedure that allows for the rapid and nearly secret deportation of immigrants deemed «alien terrorists» through a specialized court.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has until Wednesday to submit supplementary information regarding the request made to the Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), a body that had remained inactive since its creation was approved by the US Congress in 1996.
The request was made on July 15 without revealing the identity of the person sought for deportation.
One day later, the Washington-based court held a hearing where the case and the reason for the Trump administration resorting to this court were presented.
The proceeding had gone unnoticed until the website Court Watch detected the judicial documents.
«The (DOJ’s) answers persuaded the Court that the Government could benefit from the opportunity for more thoughtful consideration (of the deportation request),» wrote Judge Joan N. Ericksen, the ATRC’s presiding judge, in the order, giving the DOJ until Wednesday to detail its arguments, unless an extension is requested.
The request by the Trump administration drew the attention of experts because it is the first time this court has been used since its creation.
The petition, which will remain classified and without notifying the person whose deportation is sought, could lead to a legal battle over an alleged violation of the Constitution.
Concerns about cases presented before the specialized court date back to the last century; a 1998 Senate report, led by then-Republican legislator Jon Kyl, warned that an inappropriate case presented before this body “could mean the constitutional nullification of the ATRC”, according to information cited by the specialized site Law Dork.
The DOJ is subject to demonstrating probable cause that the «alien» is a terrorist and poses a risk to the national security of the United States, among other requirements.
However, the new push by the Trump administration comes after it has already lost several deportation cases before the US justice system, mostly for failing to respect due process. EFE
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