[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 303 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 303
Recognizing that members and affiliates of Tren de Aragua are alien
enemies perpetrating an invasion of the United States and affirming
that the President is exercising his constitutional authority to repel
that invasion.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 8, 2025
Mr. Biggs of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Roy, Mr. Higgins of Louisiana,
Mr. Ogles, Mrs. Miller of Illinois, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Mr. Crane,
Mr. Tiffany, Mr. Harris of Maryland, Mr. Brecheen, Mr. Gill of Texas,
Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina, and Mr. Cloud) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that members and affiliates of Tren de Aragua are alien
enemies perpetrating an invasion of the United States and affirming
that the President is exercising his constitutional authority to repel
that invasion.
Whereas article II of the United States Constitution vests Executive power to
the President of the United States, and establishes the President as
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces;
Whereas the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 was enacted by Congress and signed into
law to give the President of the United States the authority to repel an
alien invasion of the United States;
Whereas invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 is an exercise of the
President's authorities as Commander in Chief;
Whereas the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 states: ``Whenever there shall be a
declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or
government, or any invasion or predatory incursion shall be perpetrated,
attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States, by
any foreign nation or government, and the President of the United States
shall make public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens,
denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being males
of the age of fourteen years and upwards, who shall be within the United
States, and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended,
restrained, secured and removed, as alien enemies'';
Whereas, at the time the Alien Enemies Act was enacted, the term ``invasion''
was understood to include actions by non-state actors, as confirmed by
James Madison's comments at the Virginia Ratifying Convention for the
United States Constitution and definitions in Webster's 1806 and 1828
dictionaries, and the term ``government'' was understood to include the
institutions for governing non-state organizations, the Alien Enemies
Act can be invoked in response to invasions by non-state actors;
Whereas, on 20 January 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued ``Designating
Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And
Specially Designated Global Terrorists,'' designating Tren De Aragua as
a foreign terrorist organization;
Whereas the Executive order further details Tren De Aragua's ``campaigns of
violence and terror in the United States and internationally are
extraordinarily violent, vicious, and similarly threaten the stability
of the international order in the Western Hemisphere;''
Whereas 20-year-old nursing student Laken Hope Riley's assailant, who was
convicted of murdering and attempting to sexually assault her, was a
confirmed Tren de Aragua member;
Whereas the 2 Venezuelan illegal aliens charged with murdering and sexually
assaulting 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray on June 16, 2024, are believed
to have ties to Tren de Aragua;
Whereas law enforcement has confirmed Tren de Aragua taking over apartment
complexes at gunpoint across the United States, including Aurora,
Colorado and San Antonio, Texas;
Whereas, in March 2024, more than 100 suspected Tren de Aragua members were
arrested for their involvement in charging at National Guardsmen and
Department of Public Safety troopers at the El Paso border;
Whereas, in June 2024, a Tren de Aragua member was charged with shooting and
injuring New York City Police Department officers Cristopher Abreu and
Richard Yarusso after they tried to lawfully detain him;
Whereas, on July 30, 2024, United States Border Patrol issued a bulletin warning
that Tren de Aragua gave the ``green light'' to its over 1,000 members
to fire on and attack law enforcement;
Whereas, as of March 2025, Tren de Aragua is present in at least 19 States;
Whereas, on March 15, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued ``Invocation of the
Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren de
Aragua'', a proclamation that finds and declares that Tren de Aragua is
``perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory
incursion against the territory of the United States'';
Whereas the proclamation further details and declares that Tren de Aragua is
``undertaking hostile actions and conducting irregular warfare against
the territory of the United States both directly and at the direction,
clandestine or otherwise, of the Maduro regime in Venezuela'';
Whereas, in the 118th Congress, more than 80 Members of Congress sponsored or
cosponsored legislation stating that the mass illegal immigration
brought on by the open-border policies of the Biden administration
constituted an invasion of the United States; and
Whereas the removal of alien enemies engaged in an invasion of the United States
is necessary for the safety of the American people, and is a proper
exercise of the Executive power of the President of the United States:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that Tren de Aragua is a terrorist
organization perpetrating an invasion of the United States
directly and at the direction of a foreign government;
(2) recognizes that members and affiliates of Tren de
Aragua are alien enemies; and
(3) recognizes and affirms that the President is exercising
his Constitutional and legal authority to repel an invasion of
alien enemies by apprehending, restraining, securing, and
removing members and affiliates of Tren de Aragua from the
United States of America.
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