An attorney from the federal justice department has been placed on leave by the Trump administration for allegedly not defending the administration strongly enough after it claimed to have mistakenly deported a Maryland man to El Salvador. A US judge referred to this situation as a “wholly lawless” detention.
The move against justice department lawyer Erez Reuveni occurred after US District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who resided legally in the US with a work permit, back to Maryland, despite the administration’s claim that it was unable to return him from a sovereign nation.
The administration has appealed the ruling, and a decision is anticipated as early as Sunday night before the 11:59 PM Monday deadline for his return established by the judge.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s attorney general, appeared on Fox News Sunday, announcing that Reuveni was no longer involved in the Abrego Garcia case or in the justice department overall.
During a court hearing on Friday, Reuveni had difficulty responding to the judge’s inquiries regarding the details of Abrego Garcia’s deportation.
He mentioned that he had sought clarification from US officials concerning the inability to bring back Abrego Garcia but had not received any “satisfactory” responses. He acknowledged the “absence of evidence” supporting Abrego Garcia’s detention and deportation.
Regarding Reuveni, Bondi remarked to Fox News Sunday, “It’s a pending matter right now. He was placed on administrative leave by (Deputy US Attorney General) Todd Blanche on Saturday.”
“You have to vigorously argue on behalf of your client,” she added.
Reuveni’s supervisor, August Flentje, was also reported to be on leave, according to ABC News.
The justice department has yet to respond to a request for comment regarding this report.
Reuveni and Flentje, who, as per his LinkedIn profile, serves as the deputy director of the justice department’s office of immigration litigation within the civil division, did not reply to requests for comments.
In earlier court documents, the Trump administration admitted to mistakenly deporting Abrego Garcia to his home country despite an existing court order that prohibited his removal.
The White House and administration officials have accused Abrego Garcia of being affiliated with a criminal gang, yet no charges are currently pending. His legal team disputes this claim.
In a written order on Sunday that elaborated on her ruling from Friday, Judge Xinis stated there were “no legal grounds” for Abrego Garcia’s arrest, detention, or removal, nor was there any evidence suggesting he was wanted for any crimes in El Salvador.
“Instead, his detention seems entirely lawless,” she noted in her filing.
Abrego Garcia had adhered to all directives from immigration officials, including annual check-ins, and had never faced charges or convictions for any crimes, the judge highlighted.
Immigration agents detained Abrego Garcia on March 12 and interrogated him regarding his purported connection to the MS-13 gang, which he firmly denies.
Abrego Garcia is currently being held in a dangerous confinement facility in El Salvador, informally known as Cecot, which the judge described as “one of the most perilous prisons in the western hemisphere.”
The Trump administration has faced backlash in US courts and beyond for its intensified enforcement actions against immigration rights. A judge in Washington DC is also deliberating whether the Trump administration breached a court order by deporting suspected Venezuelan gang members amidst ongoing legal cases.
Some individuals who have been deported still possess active asylum applications, and civil rights activists have argued that the administration has neglected to uphold due process as mandated by law.
On Sunday, Bondi committed to continuing the administration’s deportation efforts, asserting, “The best course of action is to remove these individuals from our country.”
