Priyanka Tiwari
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President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he did not personally sign the controversial proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the deportation of Venezuelan migrants accused of links to gang activity, despite the document bearing his signature in the Federal Register.
“I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it,” Trump stated while on the White House South Lawn before heading to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. "Other people handled it. But Marco Rubio’s done a great job. And he wanted them out, and we go along with that."
However, according to White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, the proclamation, which served as the legal foundation for the rapid deportation of individuals allegedly connected to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang, was indeed signed by Trump. Cheung clarified that Trump was referring to the original Alien Enemies Act of 1798, not the recent executive order. "The recent executive order was personally signed by President Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act," Cheung explained, as reported by The Washington Post.
The administration has faced legal challenges over the deportations, with court filings showing that many of the individuals removed had no criminal records in the U.S. Immigration officials have argued, however, that the absence of a U.S. criminal record does not necessarily mean the individuals do not pose a threat.
There was also speculation that the proclamation may have been signed using an autopen, a mechanical device that replicates signatures. The Justice Department has ruled autopen signatures as legally valid, but Trump has previously dismissed this method as unauthentic.
Trump’s remarks came as a federal judge began scrutinizing the secrecy surrounding the proclamation, questioning why it was "essentially signed in the dark" before the deportation flights were launched. The White House only disclosed the executive action after plans were already in motion to remove 137 Venezuelan migrants.
When asked if he would approve further deportation flights despite a court order blocking them, Trump deflected, saying, “I’d have the secretary of state handle it, because I’m not really involved in that.” He also added that Rubio “has a lot of big decisions to make” following the judge’s ruling.
Throughout the day, Trump reiterated his commitment to keeping "bad people" out of the country. "Murderers, rapists, drug dealers—these are really some bad people," he said. "I ran on that. I won on that."
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