The Detainees of Crystal City

To justify mass deportations, President Trump has invoked an old wartime law: the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.   The Alien Enemies Act was last used after America’s entry into World War II. In response to the Axis countries’ detainment of Americans who were deemed potential spies, the Roosevelt Administration came up with an elaborate plan: find and arrest Germans, Japanese and Italians living in Latin America and detain them in camps in the U.S.  The government would use them to exchange for American prisoners of war.Liked this story? Find photos and more at radiodiaries.org. You can also support our work by going to radiodiaries.org /donate. Follow us on X and Instagram @radiodiaries.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices