But by creating even a limited foreign conflict, the administration can claim that a state of hostilities exists, and once that designation is in place, the president can argue that Venezuelan nationals fall under wartime authority. Courts have historically granted wide

from a country the U.S. is at war with or engaged in hostilities against. Under ordinary circumstances, the government cannot legally conduct mass detentions or broad, nationality-based deportations due-process protections, asylum law, and federal courts all create barriers that stop overreach.