The Trump administration has activated a long-dormant court created to remove noncitizens accused of terrorism-related crimes, according to new reports.
The Alien Terrorist Removal Court has received its first case since it was created by Congress thirty years ago, Court Watch first reported on Saturday.
The court has five federal judges appointed by the Chief Justice to “review applications for the removal from the United States of alien terrorists,” according to a description by the Federal Judicial Center.
The court’s first case “represents a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration” that comes amid the deadly crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Newsweek report noted.
The Attorney General submitted the court’s first application on July 15 and the court posted an order by Judge Joan Ericksen to a newly created website for the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, Court Watch reported.
The application and more details about the removal sought by the Department of Justice are sealed, but the court order mentioned that the Justice department is trying to “remove the respondent in the above-captioned matter from the United States.”
In the court order, Ericksen wrote that “the court could benefit from the opportunity for more thoughtful consideration,” and on July 16, the removal court had a hearing with the government about the submitted application.
However, “no sworn testimony was taken” at the hearing, and the DOJ lawyers offered to “supplement the record,” per the order.
The court has requested more information on the sealed application, and the DOJ has until July 22 to provide it, Court Watch reported.
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