US President Donald Trump has appointed Abhishek Kambli, an Indian-origin lawyer, to defend him for invoking the Alien Enemies Act 1798. The Trump administration deported hundreds of immigrants, allegedly linked to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, despite a federal judge ordering a temporary halt.
Mr Kambli, who joined the US Department of Justice around a month ago as Deputy Associate Attorney General, has emerged as a crucial legal voice for the Trump administration in this high-stakes legal battle.
Who Is Abhishek Kambli?
Born in India, Mr Kambli moved to the US as a three-year-old and spent his childhood in Norwalk, Connecticut. He completed his graduation in fine arts from the University of the Arts in 2006 and spent a few years in the entertainment industry. He then switched fields and pursued a Doctor of Law from the University of Notre Dame, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In 2013, he joined Dyess Air Force Base as the lead prosecutor and a functional supervisor for other trial attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants. In 2014, he was ranked the top litigator among prosecutors at the Air Force Base.
In the same year, Mr Kambli was promoted to Defense Counsel and was responsible for providing defence services for over 4,000 Air Force members stationed at Dyess Air Force Base.
During his stint in the United States Air Force, he represented Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who was accused of being a financial facilitator of the 9/11 attacks, before the Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay, per his LinkedIn profile.
In 2019, Mr Kambli joined United States Attorneys' Offices as an Assistant US Attorney and acted as first chair in jury trials. He prosecuted federal crimes within the Southern District of Indiana in federal court through all phases of litigation and also acted as an international coordinator to assist foreign law enforcement officers. He also served as a Judge Advocate General officer in the United States Air Force, where he still serves in the Reserves.
In October 2023, he joined the Kansas Attorney General's office as a Deputy Attorney General and Division Chief of the Special Litigation and Constitutional Issues Division.
Throughout his legal career, he has handled some of the most high-profile cases, including blocking the Biden administration's $475 billion student loan forgiveness plan and securing an injunction against a rule that expanded the definition of "sex" to include gender identity, according to a Times of India report.
