A federal judge tore into the Trump administration’s handling of a wrongful deportation case over the weekend, after a Justice Department lawyer admitted in court that he had never been given a clear answer as to why the U.S. couldn’t bring back a Venezuelan immigrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been wrongfully sent back to his home country despite living in Maryland.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t hold back in its ruling on Monday, denying the government’s attempt to prevent Garcia from returning to the U.S. by the deadline of midnight. The ruling was unanimous, as noted by Politico legal reporter Kyle Cheney on Bluesky.
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, a Reagan appointee, expressed outrage over the government’s claims that it couldn’t return Garcia, despite admitting they had made a mistake by deporting him. He sharply criticized the DOJ’s refusal to fix its error.
“The government rightfully concedes that it was an ‘error’ and a ‘mistake’ to ignore this process,” Wilkinson wrote. “And, if it is truly a mistake, one would also expect the government to do what it can to fix it. Most of us try to undo, to the extent that we can, the mistakes we make. But, to the best of my knowledge, the government has not even tried here. The facts of this case raise a terrifying possibility: that the government could send people to foreign prisons, ignore court orders, and then claim it’s no longer responsible for them. This would open the door to pure lawlessness, which courts cannot accept.”
The court also blasted the government for putting the lawyer who spoke honestly in court on administrative leave, punishing him for his “candor.” The ruling pointed out that the lawyer was being targeted for simply telling the truth about the case.
“As a result of his candid responses to the court’s questions, the government has placed the attorney on administrative leave, claiming he failed to show ‘zealous advocacy,’” the court noted in a footnote, referencing a CNN report about the situation.
This ruling makes it clear: the court is not willing to let the government bypass its responsibilities with excuses or legal loopholes.
Later in the day, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked the midnight deadline for the Trump administration to return Abrego Garcia to the country until the high court can resolve an emergency request to lift the judge’s order.
