March 19, 2025: A fierce battle is unfolding in the US between the executive and judiciary branches over the deportation of illegal immigrants. At the centre of this controversy is Abhishek Kambli, an Indian American lawyer and Deputy Associate Attorney General at the US Department of justice, who has been chosen by the Trump administration to defend its use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

This 200 year old law grants the President the power to detain, relocate or deport non-citizens, and its invocation has sparked a legal challenge. Kambli is leading the defence of the act, arguing against Judge James Boasberg, who ordered a halt to the deportation flights.

However, Kambli’s argument that the flights couldn’t be called back because they were already in international waters was deemed unconvincing.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the matter to court on March 15, just an hour after Trump invoked the Alien enemies act to deport five Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. The deportation flights have already resulted in the removal of around 400 Indians who were among the thousands of illegal immigrants deported on special flights.

Kambli’s role in this high profile case has put him in the spotlight.