A U.S. judge has ordered the Trump administration to “take all appropriate actions to facilitate the return” of a man who was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador and set a status hearing for Friday.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis' order came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, rejecting the administration's emergency appeal of its April 4 order for his return.
An immigration judge has ruled to block the deportation of an El Salvadoran man to his home country over concerns he could be targeted by local gangs.
Following the Supreme Court's instructions, Judge Xinis ordered the administration to file a declaration by Friday morning outlining the location and status of Mr. Abrego Garcia's detention, as well as the steps the administration has taken and intends to take to obtain his return.
An in-person status conference was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
The Supreme Court has issued several decisions in the emergency case, with the conservative majority at least partially siding with Trump amid a slew of lower court decisions slowing progress on the president's sweeping agenda.
On Thursday, the court noted that Judge Xinis's ruling should be clarified to ensure that it does not interfere with the executive branch's powers in the area of foreign relations, since Mr. Abrego Garcia is outside the country.
“The order rightly requires the government to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is treated as if he had not been wrongfully sent to El Salvador,” the court said in an unsigned decision that accepted no objections.
The administration claims Mr. Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, although he has never been charged or convicted of a crime.
His lawyers said there was no evidence linking him to MS-13.
The administration acknowledged it had made a mistake in deporting him to El Salvador but said there was nothing more it could do.
The court's liberal justices said the administration should have quickly corrected “its egregious error” and was “plain wrong” to claim it could not bring him home.
Mr Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vazquez Sura, said the ordeal had been an “emotional rollercoaster” for their family and the entire community.
“I'm looking forward to the moment when Kilmar is around and we can get
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
