DOJ Challenges Return Order for Deported Salvadoran

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is challenging a federal judge's order for the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador despite legal protections against deportation. Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Garcia must be returned due to the administration's 'grievous error,' but the DOJ claims the order exceeds judicial authority and is constitutionally intolerable. Garcia had been protected from deportation since 2019 due to gang threats. DOJ attorney Erez Reuveni, who admitted the deportation was a mistake, has been placed on leave for failing to zealously advocate for the government. The administration has requested an emergency stay from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to pause the judge's order.