A district judge ruled Friday the Trump administration must bring a Maryland man it mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month back to the U.S., making the decision after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the man was deported because of a “clerical error.”
The judge issued the order Friday afternoon against the Trump administration. (Photo by Win ... More
District Judge Paula Xinis said in a filing the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, must be returned to the U.S. no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on April 7.
Xinis said Garcia was apprehended and deported to El Salvador without legal basis or justification, noting the man was granted withholding of removal in 2019, which barred his removal to El Salvador.
The ruling comes after Leavitt insisted earlier this week Garcia would not return to the U.S., baselessly alleging he was a cartel leader and claiming there was “credible intelligence proving” Garcia was involved in human trafficking.
Leavitt also acknowledged Garcia was deported because of a “clerical error,” confirming a declaration from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Field Office Director Robert Cerna that Garcia’s removal “was an error” and “an oversight.”
Garcia’s deportation is a flashpoint for the Trump administration’s sweeping deportations to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act, which have come under scrutiny from a separate district judge who said Thursday it is likely Trump’s team defied his order blocking further deportation flights.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.