DES MOINES, IOWA (March 19, 2025) —Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has filed a brief urging the court to allow President Trump to continue deporting the ruthless Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (“TdA”).
Tren De Aragua is a transnational criminal organization and designated terrorist organization known for raping, torturing, and murdering its victims. The gang invaded the United States and proved an immediate threat to the safety of families all across the country. TdA’s heinous crimes include the brutal murder of 22-year-old college student Laken Riley, who was killed on her morning jog. In a viral video, the world also watched in horror as criminal TdA thugs took-over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, where they were later found to have been prostituting children.
While Pres Trump’s planes were in the air on Sunday, deporting these non-citizen terrorist gangsters out of the country, a single district court judge ordered them back. Pres Trump had already sent the gang members to a maximum-security facility in El Salvador to keep Americans safe. The judge’s decision blocks Pres Trump’s administration from continuing to deport violent gang members for 14 days.
“America is not a refuge for noncitizen, terrorist thugs,” said AG Bird. “These animals in our country, like the gangster who murdered Laken Riley, are enemies who should be immediately deported — never to walk our streets again. I’m calling on the court to let Pres Trump continue Making America Safe Again by deporting terrorist Tren De Aragua gangsters.”
The States make the case that Pres Trump’s executive order deporting noncitizen, Tren De Aragua gangsters is protected by both the law and Constitution. They also emphasize how every state has a stake in keeping its people safe from violent criminals.
Iowa joined the South Carolina and Virginia-led amicus brief, along with 23 other states, including Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Read the full brief here.
