Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general in supporting President Donald J. Trump’s push to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), a group recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, the attorneys general urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to stay a lower court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) that blocks President Trump’s use of the “Alien Enemies Act.” The law allows the President to expedite the removal of unlawful residents from enemy nations. The coalition argues that lifting the TRO is essential to maintaining public safety and upholding the President’s constitutional and statutory authority to protect national security.
“Each State is directly impacted by criminal activity perpetuated by violent foreign gangs. And each State has an interest in protecting its citizens from such criminal activity,” the attorneys general wrote. “That’s why Amici States support robust actions against gangs like the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (‘TdA’) that are wreaking havoc within our borders.”
The attorneys general contend that the district court’s ruling undermines the President’s authority under Article II of the Constitution and federal law, which grants the executive branch the power to combat foreign threats, including transnational criminal organizations. They also warn that the court’s decision fails to consider the broader public safety risks, citing violent crimes allegedly committed by TdA members, such as the murder of Laken Riley and the gang’s takeover of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.
The legal brief was led by attorneys general from South Carolina and Virginia, with additional support from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
The case now awaits further action from the appeals court as the attorneys general push to reinstate Trump’s deportation efforts.
By: DNU staff