Former Governor Martin O’Malley (D-MD) suggested that blue-state attorneys general could resort to filing state kidnapping charges against President Donald Trump’s administration over continued efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens and suspected gang members.

O’Malley spoke with MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow, arguing that it was “only a matter of time” before someone figured out how to most effectively weaponize the court system at the state level in order to curtail the Trump administration’s enforcement of federal immigration policy.

WATCH:

🚨Fmr. MD Gov Martin O’Malley says “it’s a matter of time” before blue-state AG’s file kidnapping charges over ICE operations.

"Attorney generals are going to play a critically important role in these days ahead, fighting this fascist moment in American history."

21% and… pic.twitter.com/QgSX6knQCS

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 15, 2025

“I think the attorney generals play a really important role right now,” O’Malley said, throwing in all the Democrat talking points as he continued. “I think it’s only a matter of time before one of them figures out how to file state kidnapping charges against those that are abducting people who are in this country legally and sending them to this new concentration camp that Donald Trump laughs about having created in El Salvador.”

“Attorney generals are going to play a critically important role in these days ahead, fighting this fascist moment in American history,” he concluded.

O’Malley made no effort to square his argument with the fact that states cannot dictate federal immigration policy to the Executive Branch, nor did he explain how state kidnapping charges would prevent the U.S. State Department from revoking legal immigration status — as was done with Columbia University agitator Mahmoud Khalil — in cases of legal immigrants whose continued presence in the United States is at odds with foreign policy objectives.

O’Malley is not alone in his line of thinking, however. Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) said that Democrats in the House — along with Democrat Attorneys General across the country — continue to meet regularly in their efforts to use the courts as a weapon against Trump’s administration.

QUIET PART OUT LOUD: Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) admits that House Democrats are meeting "every single week behind the scenes" with left-wing attorneys general to employ lawfare against President Trump's agenda. pic.twitter.com/HBsjVDg8Ip

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 15, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi has addressed the situation in interviews as well, stating that the Democrats’ repeated use of district court judges and blanket injunctions represent the true “constitutional crisis.”

“Since January 20th, we’ve had over 170 lawsuits filed against us. That should be the constitutional crisis right there,” Bondi stated. “Fifty injunctions, they’re popping up every single day, trying to control his executive power, trying to control where he believes our tax dollars should be allocated.”