Monitoring democratic institutions through public records
Using Military Inside the U.S. — Week of Mar 10, 2025
The military is supposed to fight foreign enemies, not police American citizens. There are strict laws about when troops can be used inside the U.S.
AI content assessment elevated
AI content assessment elevated with high P2 concern rate. Warrants close examination.
On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Proclamation 10903, invoking a 1798 wartime law—the Alien Enemies Act—to label members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua as "alien enemies." This law was last used during World War II to authorize the internment of Japanese, German, and Italian nationals. The proclamation describes the gang's criminal activities as an "invasion" and "irregular warfare," and directs all federal departments and agencies to help apprehend those targeted for removal.
This might matter because calling a criminal gang an invading enemy force could blur the legal line between military operations and domestic policing—a boundary that exists specifically to prevent the federal government from using soldiers to enforce laws against people inside the United States. If "all federal departments and agencies" is read to include the military, this proclamation could provide a legal pathway around the laws that have kept troops out of civilian law enforcement for over a century.
There are important alternative explanations. Most likely, this proclamation is primarily about speeding up deportations of gang members, not about deploying troops—it focuses on removal authority, not military orders. It is also true that TdA has documented ties to the Venezuelan government and faces federal narcoterrorism charges, which makes the "foreign enemy" label less of a stretch than it might seem for an ordinary street gang. Courts are already reviewing related executive actions and may limit how broadly this authority can be applied.
Separately, presidential remarks at the Department of Justice featured rhetoric describing prior FBI investigations as corrupt and praising newly appointed leaders for their personal loyalty. While this primarily concerns the independence of law enforcement, a Justice Department oriented around loyalty could be less likely to push back on expansive uses of military authority at home.
Limitations: This is AI-generated analysis based on published federal documents. No evidence of actual military deployment in domestic law enforcement was found this week. The concern is about the legal framework being built, not actions already taken.