A Justice Department attorney has been placed on indefinite paid leave by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office following controversy surrounding the mistaken deportation of a Salvadoran man residing in Maryland.
Erez Reuveni, a DOJ lawyer who represented the federal government during a recent hearing in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was removed from his duties for allegedly failing to “zealously advocate” on behalf of the administration’s position.
The decision was confirmed Friday, according to Fox News.
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“At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,” Bondi told The New York Times.
“Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”
Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally in 2011 and later requested asylum, was deported on March 15 despite having a protective order in place.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled Friday that the deportation violated the Administrative Procedures Act, citing that it occurred without a proper judicial proceeding.
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The judge ordered the federal government to return Garcia to the United States before midnight Monday.
Reuveni admitted in court that Garcia’s deportation was a mistake, according to The New York Times.
The Trump administration quickly filed an emergency appeal on Saturday, arguing that Judge Xinis does not have the authority to compel the executive branch to reverse the deportation.
In the appeal, the administration warned of broader implications, particularly citing national security concerns.
“Late Friday afternoon, a federal district judge ordered the United States to force El Salvador to send one of its citizens – a member of MS-13, no less – back to the United States by midnight on Monday. If there was ever a case for an emergency stay pending appeal, this would be it,” the government stated in the filing reviewed by Fox News Digital.
The appeal added that the administration “does not have control over” Garcia, who is currently being held in a Salvadoran prison.
The filing described the court’s injunction as “indefensible,” stating it would require the U.S. government to pressure a foreign nation into taking specific action on a limited timeline.
The administration also emphasized Garcia’s alleged gang ties in its filing, noting, “Abrego Garcia has been found to be a member of a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, MS-13.
Given that status, he has no legal right or basis to be in the United States at all.”
During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt doubled down on the administration’s stance.
“This individual is an illegal criminal who broke our nation’s immigration laws. He is a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang, and he is involved in human trafficking,” Leavitt said.
“And now MS-13 is a designated foreign terrorist organization. Foreign terrorists have no legal protections in the United States of America. And this administration is going to continue to deport foreign terrorists and illegal criminals from our nation’s interior,” she added.
“If you just saw the headline from the insane, failing The Atlantic magazine this morning, you would think this individual was father of the year,” says Leavitt.
“This individual is an illegal criminal … a leader in the brutal MS-13 gang … involved in human trafficking.” pic.twitter.com/3rOVjg4BeK
— Gabriela Iglesias (@iglesias_gabby) April 2, 2025
Garcia’s legal history is complex.
Although his initial asylum request was denied, an immigration judge ruled five years ago that he could not be deported due to the risk of persecution by gangs in El Salvador.
That ruling granted him protection from deportation, and ICE did not appeal the decision.
Garcia had been working legally in Maryland under a Department of Homeland Security permit and was employed as a sheet metal apprentice.
He was arrested in a parking lot of an IKEA on March 12, while his five-year-old son was in the car.
Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, a U.S. citizen, has led a campaign advocating for his return.
His legal team continues to challenge the administration’s claims, arguing there is little evidence connecting him to gang activity.
They also note that he was allowed to work legally in the country.
At present, it remains unclear how the administration intends to comply with Judge Xinis’s ruling, given that Garcia is currently incarcerated in El Salvador under the authority of that country’s government.
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