Judge orders US to recall deported migrant

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's wife and supporters call for his release from notorious El Salvador prison

(Image credit: The Washington Post via Getty Images)

What happened

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said Sunday she had ordered the Trump administration to retrieve one of the migrants it had sent to a prison in El Salvador because the "grievous error" to deport him appeared to be "wholly lawless." The Justice Department had conceded that deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia was an "administrative error" but said the judge had no jurisdiction in the case and it had no power to bring him back to Maryland — claims Xinis called "eye-popping."

Who said what

Sunday's "strongly worded order" from Xinis "served two purposes," The New York Times said. It "offered a more detailed explanation" of her bench order Friday, and it "rejected a request by the Justice Department to pause the order as a federal appeals court considered its validity."

Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Sunday that the Justice Department had put Erez Reuveni — the veteran government lawyer who appeared before Xinis on Friday and expressed frustration with the DOJ's lack of forthcomingness — on administrative leave for not having argued the government's case "zealously" enough.

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What next?

Xinis ordered the Trump administration to bring Abrego Garcia home by Monday night. It's not clear if the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals will step in before then.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.