HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined a coalition of 26 attorneys general supporting President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA), a dangerous gang designated a foreign terrorist organization.

In an amicus brief filed Tuesday, the attorneys general asked the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to stay a lower court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) that halts President Trump’s invocation of the “Alien Enemies Act”, which permits the President to swiftly deport unlawful residents who are natives of an enemy nation. The court should halt the order until the appeal is heard because the TRO jeopardizes public safety across the country, and it fails to properly recognize 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. 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 wrote. “President Trump’s recent executive order uses constitutional and statutory authority to deport Venezuelan citizens who are members of TdA and are not American citizens or lawful permanent residents.”

The district court’s decision undermines the President’s constitutional and statutory authority. President Trump acted within his rights under the Constitution and the laws of the United States, particularly through the powers granted by Article II. These powers provide the President with the robust authority to take action against foreign threats, including transnational criminal organizations like Tren de Aragua.

The attorneys general also note that the district court “failed to fully weigh the public interest, overlooking how its TRO will directly undermine the security of the States”, citing specific cases of violence committed by TdA members such as the murder of Laken Riley and the hostile takeover of an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado.

Attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia also joined the brief led by South Carolina and Virginia.

Click here to read the brief.