Outgunned and outnumbered for years by pro-immigration groups in the courts, a new network of pro-border lawyers is coming to the rescue in President Trump’s battle to end illegal immigration and limit the number of immigrants from terror-prone nations.

Called “Attorneys United for a Secure America,” the three-month-old initiative already has showed its muscle in fights involving the president’s travel ban and war on sanctuary cities.

“This is about making the immigration system work for Americans again. For too long I think we’ve been concerned about how it's working for other people,” said attorney Sarah R. Rehberg, who heads up the project for the Washington-based Immigration Reform Law Institute.





Her emerging network of lawyers is an answer to the dozens of pro-immigration groups and legal teams who have pushed for open borders and demanded sympathetic policies for illegal immigrants and who have fought Trump’s crackdown.

“This is long overdue,” she said in an interview. “It’s been tough. The opposition has been attacking everything that this administration does left and right. Now we’re hopeful that cooler heads may prevail at the U.S. Supreme Court, but until then of course it’s going to be an uphill battle,” Rehberg said.

The network helps to link lawyers with those seeking to help the administration or fight pro-immigration groups in courts. “Our network connects attorneys from all parts of the country who are interested in putting the needs of the American people first when it comes to enforcing U.S. immigration law,” according to the group’s website.

The network has been embraced by groups who advocate for limited immigration and adherence to current U.S. immigration law, something often overlooked during the Obama era.

Ira Mehlman, with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, explained that the courts are key in the Trump era. “The courts have become a major battleground in the whole immigration debate. It may be the most important forum right now,” he said.

Jessica M. Vaughan, the policy director for the Center for Immigration Studies, said, “The anti-borders side has long relied on 'lawfare' instead of lawmaking to push its cause and to push the interests of those who have abused our immigration laws.”

She added that “having an organized group of lawyers who have signed up to defend immigration laws that protect the national interest and the interests of American citizens, and who share information and strategies is critical to fight rogue judges, sanctuary politicians and possibly future administrations that try to undermine the will of the people.”

She said the legal efforts could be used to help American victims of immigration. “This network could be invaluable to people who have been harmed by anti-borders policies or decisions, such as people victimized by criminal aliens released by sanctuary policies, or people who suffer discrimination or displacement by employers who hire illegal aliens or guest workers,” said Vaughan, who is regularly called on to testify in Congress about immigration.

Rehberg said the idea for the network became obvious when groups lawyered up in advance of Trump’s travel ban. She recalled seeing TV images of lawyers at courts ready to file cases against the president.

“Our side didn’t have that, but we need that,” she said.