President Donald Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang.

President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target a Venezuelan gang he accused of "unlawfully infiltrating" the United States.

Trump is expected to invoke the Alien Enemies Act as part of the efforts to carry out mass deportations, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.