By BEN FINLEY

The Trump administration is fighting Kilmar Abrego Garcia ‘s bid to apply for asylum in the United States, arguing that he’s ineligible as a member of the MS-13 gang.

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The Department of Homeland Security on Friday released immigration court documents that outline its arguments against Abrego Garcia applying for asylum or receiving it.

A primary argument is that Abrego Garcia is a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization, MS-13, an allegation that Abrego Garcia denies and for which he hasn’t been charged.

Abrego Garcia, 30, became a flashpoint over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported to his native country of El Salvador in March. The U.S. returned him in June, but only to face federal human smuggling in Tennessee, which his lawyers have called preposterous and vindictive. He has pleaded not guilty.

Abrego Garcia filed a motion in Baltimore immigration court last month to reopen his 2019 immigration case and apply for asylum again. He was denied the first time because his request came more than a year after he arrived in the U.S.

Abrego Garcia had fled threats of gang violence in his native El Salvador around 2011 to join his brother in Maryland. And while his first asylum request was denied, he was granted protection from deportation to El Salvador because he had established a well-founded fear of gang violence there.

Abrego Garcia was released in 2019 under federal supervision and continued to live with his American wife and children. He checked in with ICE each year, received a federal work permit and was working as a sheet metal apprentice earlier this year, his lawyers have said.

Immigration experts have said that Abrego Garcia’s new asylum application could lead to a green card and a path to citizenship. But by reopening his 2019 case, he also risks being sent back to El Salvador.

The Trump administration stated in court documents this week that it would pursue returning him to his native country if he successfully reopens his previous immigration case.

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers are playing with fire,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement on Friday. It added: “As a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization, MS-13, he is no longer eligible for his previous immigration relief.”

Abrego Garcia and his attorneys have repeatedly denied the MS-13 allegation. It stems from a day in 2019 when he was detained by local police in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Abrego Garcia had arrived outside a Home Depot in search of work as a day laborer, according to court documents. Authorities had been told by a confidential informant that Abrego Garcia and other men outside the store could be identified as members of MS-13 because of their clothing and tattoos.

Abrego Garcia was never charged. He was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and subsequently applied for asylum and ultimately received protection from being deported to El Salvador.

In February, the Trump administration designated MS-13 to be a foreign terrorist organization and wrongfully deported Abrego Garcia to a notorious El Salvador prison, where he claims he was beaten and psychologically tortured. El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has denied those allegations.

Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s lead immigration attorney, said in a statement Friday that Abrego Garcia would likely get asylum if he gets a fair trial.

“The only reason he was denied asylum in 2019 was because he did not file within one year of entering the United States, a problem which the government has now solved,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “If Mr. Abrego Garcia is allowed a fair trial in immigration court, there’s no way he’s not going to prevail on his claim for asylum.”

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning to attend the men’s singles final at the U.S. Open on Sunday as a client guest and will watch the match from that client’s suite, a spokesperson for the U.S. Tennis Association said Friday.

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The USTA did not identify which client Trump will be a guest of. It’s set to be Trump’s first appearance at the Grand Slam tournament in New York since 2015.

Trump frequently attended in the years before that when he lived in New York and before he launched his political career. He now primarily lives at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, when he’s not in Washington.

It’s the latest high-profile sporting event for Trump after the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the Daytona 500 in Florida, as well as UFC fights in Miami and Newark, New Jersey, the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia and the FIFA Club World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The Trump Organization once controlled a suite at the U.S. Open which was adjacent to the television broadcasting booth in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but suspended it in 2017, during the first year of Trump’s first term.

Despite Trump’s past association with the tournament, having a sitting president at the U.S. Open is unusual. It hasn’t happened since Bill Clinton attended in 2000. Former President Barack Obama and wife, Michelle, attended the opening night in 2023.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Invasive zebra mussels have been confirmed in Big Marine Lake in northern Washington County, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The adult zebra mussels were found on boats exiting the lake at two different locations, DNR officials said.

Zebra mussels clinging to a metal rod. (Forum News Service)

No adult zebra mussels were found during subsequent dive searches, but water samples analyzed by the DNR contained veligers, the larval form of zebra mussels, which “suggests reproducing zebra-mussel populations,” officials said.

Zebra mussels also were discovered attached to a dock on Cedar Lake, near New Prague in Scott County, according to the DNR, and larvae were detected in water samples.

“For that reason, these lakes will be listed as infested for zebra mussels,” DNR officials said.

Zebra mussels also were found this summer in DeMontroville and Olson Lakes in Lake Elmo and in Long Lake in Pine Springs, located on the northeast corner of Interstate 694 and Minnesota 36.

State law requires boaters, anglers and waterfront property owners to take a variety of actions to prevent the spread of zebra mussels, regardless of whether a lake has an infestation, according to the DNR.

People should contact the DNR if they believe they have found zebra mussels or any other invasive species not already known to be in the water body.

Zebra mussels can compete with native species for food and habitat, cut the feet of swimmers, reduce the performance of boat motors and damage water intake pipes.

More information is available at dnr.state.mn.us/ais.

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The headlines wrote themselves last week after the Vikings acquired veteran receiver Adam Thielen in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. The kid from Detroit Lakes, Minn. was coming home to finish his career. You couldn’t write a better ending.

As excited as Thielen still seemed to be this week while chatting with reporters at TCO Performance Center, he made it clear that his main focus is making sure he’s ready to contribute when the Vikings play the Chicago Bears on Monday night at Soldier Field.

The biggest reason Minnesota made the move for Thielen was because they believed he could still make an impact on offense. That isn’t lost on him. He knows he has to be more than a feel-good story for the Vikings.

That’s why Thielen immediately got to work after the trade was finalized.

“Just being in the offense before helps a little bit,” Thielen said. “To be able to come in and be like, ‘OK, I remember some of this stuff.’”

Not all of it. The familiarity with the offense that Thielen has, having played for head coach Kevin O’Connell a few seasons ago, only goes so far. He’s spent countless hours with his head in the playbook this week trying to get caught up with all the changes.

“Those reps in the huddle are also huge,” Thielen said. “Just to get used to hearing the play call, getting lined up, then having the ball snapped.”

It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thielen has already endeared himself to his teammates. He’s long prided himself on bringing joy to the locker room. It’s been that way ever since he came to the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota State-Mankato.

“That’s kind of always been my personality,” Thielen said. “That’s who I’m going to continue to be.”

Whether it’s young quarterback J.J. McCarthy, superstar receiver Justin Jefferson, or veteran tight end T.J. Hockenson, they all heaped praise on Thielen for the good vibes he’s brought to the table.

“Just adding that to our team is invaluable,” McCarthy said. “It does a lot for us.”

Though he got to catch some passes from McCarthy this summer, Thielen knows it’s completely different preparing for an actual game

Since arriving back in the Twin Cities, Thielen made it a point to spend as much time around McCarthy as possible. That’s helped them develop some chemistry in short order, on and off the field.

“He’s another guy who’s fun to be around,” Thielen said.”It’s been good to see his personality show up this week.”

There’s a good chance that Thielen will immediately step into a big role on offense. If that’s indeed the case, Jefferson has no doubt that Thielen will be able to make a difference.

“It’s like it was meant to be,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely great to have him back.”

Those sentiments are shared by Thielen.

“I’m like a kid in a candy shop,” Thielen said. “This is what I love to do.”

The fact that Thielen gets to do what he loves back at home makes it that much sweeter.

Briefly

There were some notable improvements on the estimated injury report the Vikings released on Friday afternoon. The most intriguing nugget was the fact that left tackle Christian Darrisaw (knee) was listed as a full participant while safety Harrison Smith (illness) was listed as a limited participant. It’s worth keeping an eye on both players when the official injury report is released on Saturday afternoon.

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