Trump administration now owes daily updates in effort to return wrongly deported migrant
U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis had a contentious day in court with the Justice Department in dealing with the deportation of a Maryland man.
In the Friday hearing, the DOJ was told to deliver information about a man they admitted they had wrongfully deported. The hearing came after a Thursday night ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld a lower court decision that the DOJ must “facilitate” his return.
Xinis demanded the DOJ provide information on the whereabouts of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a prison in El Salvador earlier this year. When they failed to do so, she ordered that the DOJ give daily updates by 5 p.m., beginning Saturday, about what they're doing to "facilitate" Garcia's return.
"For the reasons discussed during today's conference, the Court finds that the Defendants have failed to comply with this Court's Order at ECF No. 51," she wrote in the order.
ALSO READ: John Roberts has created a monster — and he knows it
"From this Court's perspective, Defendants' contention that they could not answer these basic questions absent some nonspecific 'vetting' that has yet to take place, provides no basis for their lack of compliance," the order continues.
The DOJ must file "... a declaration made by an individual with personal knowledge as to any information regarding: (1) the current physical location and custodial status of Abrego Garcia; (2) what steps, if any, Defendants have taken to faciliate his immediate return to the United States; (3) what additional steps Defendant will take, and when, to facilitate his return."
She will hold a new hearing on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the matter again.