The Trump administration says the group should be treated as an invading force. Critics say it’s a pretext for the administration’s anti-immigrant narrative.

Trump labeled the Tren de Aragua an invading force when he invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 authority that allows the president to deport any noncitizen during wartime.

The Trump administration has invoked a 227-year-old law, the Alien Enemies Act, to target Tren de Aragua, a gang with its roots in the prisons of Venezuela. Who are they and how wide is their reach?