Federal Appeals Court Orders Trump Administration to Return Fourth Wrongly Deported Immigrant

A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Jordin Alexander Melgar-Salmeron, a Salvadoran immigrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador despite a court order barring his removal. His deportation on May 7 occurred just minutes after the Second Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled he should remain in the U.S., contradicting government assurances to the court. The administration attributed the removal to a "confluence of administrative errors," including a breakdown in communication and an inaccurate passenger roster, though Department of Homeland Security officials have denied any error, alleging Melgar-Salmeron is affiliated with MS-13. The court's decision cited a precedent from the Supreme Court involving a similar wrongful deportation case and gave the government a deadline to clarify Melgar-Salmeron's current location and plans for his return. This marks the fourth known case in which federal courts have intervened to order the Trump administration to return immigrants deported in violation of court orders, reflecting ongoing legal challenges to the administration's mass deportation efforts. The rulings underscore judicial checks on the administration's immigration policies and highlight significant procedural lapses in deportation enforcement.