Judge orders Trump administration to bring back man mistakenly deported
Lawyers had filed an emergency lawsuit seeking his return last month, after officials deported him despite a standing order from an immigration judge barring his removal to his native El Salvador because he most likely faced threats of persecution from gang members.
The Trump administration has acknowledged that federal officers mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia to a prison filled with gang members.
But US officials have argued the United States is powerless to effectuate his return because he is now in Salvadoran custody, and that Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have “not clearly shown” that he would face harm in the prison.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyer argued in court records that the Government’s claims are “outrageous” and alleged the Trump administration has “washed their hands” of him, his wife and their autistic and non-verbal 5-year-old son, a US citizen.
“They’re coming before this court and saying, ‘We’ve tried nothing and we’re all out of options’,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told Judge Xinis, an Obama nominee, at a hearing in US District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Maria Sacchetti covers immigration for the Washington Post, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the court system. Katie Mettler is a reporter covering state government and criminal justice in Maryland.
