The president’s temper tantrum comes less than two days after U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., whom Trump appointed during his first term, struck down his use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to expel hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador. The administration had argued that the law—which was last used during World War II to justify carting Japanese-Americans off to internment camps—allowed it to deport migrants without due process because the country is at war with gangs and drug cartels.
That’s not how any of this works.
Yes, it is. They use these “Wars” on issues to increase their control of the population. The “War on Drugs” encouraged the militarization of local police, the “War on Terror” encouraged the intrusive surveillance of citizens, the “War on Illegal Immigration” allows the president to invoke the Alien Enemies Act.
Characterizing these issues as “Wars” sends the message that they will go to extremes to achieve their oppressive objectives.