Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is among a coalition of 26 state attorneys general that filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in support of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport members of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The brief, filed on Tuesday, urges the court to lift a nationwide restraining order that is preventing the immediate deportation of Tren de Aragua gang members as ordered under President Donald Trump’s March 15 executive order titled “Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua.”
The attorneys general argue that allowing the temporary restraining order, issued by the lone U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, to stand “undermines the security of the States” and places American lives at risk.
“The district court failed to fully weigh the public interest, overlooking how its [temporary restraining order] will directly undermine the security of the States…The experiences of the States bolster and support the President’s findings on this point, as the States and their citizens have been subject to escalating acts of violence committed by [Tren De Aragua],” the brief reads.
The coalition also argues that the district court overstepped its bounds and “violated important principles of separation of powers” by issuing the restraining order without fully considering the Executive Branch’s compelling interest in national security.
“Article II of the Constitution provides the President with substantial authority over foreign affairs and national security…Further, the President was acting pursuant to a statute passed by Congress, 50 U.S.C. § 21. The President’s authority under that statute is uniquely ill-suited for judicial review…Each of those fonts of authority are independently compelling. Working in tandem, however, they provide a strong basis for executive action against [Tren De Aragua],” the brief adds.
In addition to Tennessee’s Skrmetti, Tuesday’s brief was joined by the attorneys general of Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Image “Convicted Criminal Alien” by President Nayib Bukele.
