Trump Denies Signing Order Invoking Alien Enemies Act Amid Deportation Controversy

President Donald Trump on Friday distanced himself from the executive action that invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants, claiming for the first time that he had not personally signed the order.

Speaking to reporters before leaving the White House, Trump insisted that he was not directly involved in the decision.

"I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it," he said. However, the proclamation appears in the Federal Register with Trump’s signature at the bottom.

Despite denying direct involvement, Trump defended the administration’s move, saying, “We want to get criminals out of our country, number one.” He also credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying, “he has done a great job, and he wanted them out, and we go along with that.”

Confusion Over White House response

Trump’s remarks came after Judge James Boasberg raised concerns in court earlier on Friday, questioning whether the proclamation had been “signed in the dark” and whether migrants had been hurried onto planes without due process.

Hours after Trump’s comments, the White House issued a statement attempting to clarify the situation, claiming that the president’s remarks had been misunderstood.

"President Trump was obviously referring to the original Alien Enemies Act that was signed back in 1798," the statement read. "The recent Executive Order was personally signed by President Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act that designated Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in order to apprehend and deport these heinous criminals."

However, Trump’s own words contradict this explanation, as he explicitly stated that "other people handled it" and cited Rubio.

Rubio’s role in deportation efforts

During the exchange with reporters, Trump raised Rubio’s name without being asked. When questioned about potential future deportation flights, Trump said, “I would say that I’d have the Secretary of State handle it, because I’m not really involved in that.”

He added that removing criminals such as murderers, rapists, and drug dealers had been a major theme of his presidency, saying, “I ran on that. I won on that.”

The Trump administration has faced legal challenges over its use of the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th-century law that gives the president broad powers to deport individuals from countries considered hostile to the United States. With litigation ongoing, the extent of Trump’s direct involvement remains unclear.