Deport the Cartel

President Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to expel Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members from U.S. soil is not only the right move—it’s a long-overdue strike against a growing national security threat. This Venezuelan-born syndicate isn’t just another street gang; it’s a sophisticated criminal network operating with cartel-like efficiency, spreading its violence and trafficking operations across multiple continents. The administration correctly labeled TdA a Foreign Terrorist Organization, giving law enforcement the tools to go after them. Now, the effort to cut this cancer out of American communities faces its first roadblock—a predictable legal challenge designed to stall decisive action.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration’s deportation plan, arguing that the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime measure, wasn’t meant for targeting non-state actors. This is legal sophistry at its finest. TdA operates more like an invading force than a traditional gang, with a footprint stretching from South America to major U.S. cities. They traffic humans, run extortion rackets, and use migrant shelters as recruitment centers. If that doesn’t constitute an organized hostile incursion, what does?

The opposition to this move is as predictable as it is misguided. The same voices who insist the border crisis is “complicated” are the ones tying law enforcement’s hands when a violent syndicate embeds itself in our cities. The administration is treating this for what it is—a direct security threat, not an immigration issue. There’s no debate to be had over whether foreign criminals running organized extortion and human trafficking rings deserve to stay in the U.S. The only question is how quickly we can remove them.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has made it clear: this fight isn’t over. The administration must push forward, using every available legal avenue to ensure these criminals are expelled before they become as entrenched as the cartels in Mexico. The judge’s ruling is a temporary setback, not a defeat. If the courts want to tie themselves in knots over whether a transnational criminal enterprise counts as an “enemy,” let them. In the meantime, every effort should be made to identify, detain, and remove TdA members under existing statutes—no loopholes, no delays.

The stakes here are clear: either the administration stays the course and eliminates this threat, or it lets the usual bureaucratic inertia dictate policy while TdA tightens its grip. This is a test of political will. The president has taken the right step—now, he must ensure it isn’t the last.