Former President Donald Trump has vowed to revive one of the earliest pieces of federal legislation as part of his calls for mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the country — specifically those in gangs.

The controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, signed into law by President John Adams in 1798, were a trio of laws that were passed in the expected lead-up to a war with France, allowing for the swift deportation of noncitizens in America and the regulation of criticism against the government. While two highly controversial pieces of legislation were repealed or expired, the least controversial law of the trio, the Alien Enemies Act, has caught the attention of Trump.