Comment: Trump would twist unjust law; Congress should repeal it

In her article, Katherine Yon Ebright critiques President-elect Donald Trump's plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act for mass deportations, highlighting its troubling historical context, particularly its use during World War II to intern thousands based solely on Japanese ancestry. Ebright argues that Trump's advisors' claims about the law allowing for the detention of millions of noncitizens represent a significant overreach of executive power that threatens constitutional rights. The article emphasizes that the law should only be applied in wartime or genuine national emergencies, not as a tool for targeting vulnerable populations. It also points out the discriminatory nature of the law, which categorizes individuals based on ancestry. Ebright calls for Congress to prioritize the repeal of the Alien Enemies Act to prevent future abuses and advocates for a legal framework that upholds the rights of all individuals, regardless of immigration status, stressing the importance of learning from historical mistakes.