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The United States Justice Department has placed senior attorney Erez Reuveni on leave after he questioned the Trump administration over the mistaken deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador.
At a court hearing on Friday, Reuveni struggled to answer questions from the judge about the circumstances of Garcia’s deportation. Reuveni said he did not receive “satisfactory” answers from the US administration and acknowledged the “absence of evidence”.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was living legally in Maryland but was deported to El Salvador last month. He had fled from El Salvador in 2011 and as per reports, a US immigration judge had granted him protection from deportation in 2019. The Trump administration claims that Garcia has ties to MS-13. Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang and US-designated terrorist organization.
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Suspension of Erez Reuveni
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed in a statement the suspension of Erez Reuveni. "At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States. Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences," Bondi said. She also spoke to Fox News and said, "You have to vigorously argue on behalf of your client."
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Judge orders Maryland man's return to US
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Garcia must be returned to the United States. The judge gave the administration until 11:59 p.m. Monday for the return of Garcia to U.S. soil. However, the US government has argued it has no jurisdiction to order his return because he is in a foreign country.
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Garcia, his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their legal team filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland and called for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to ensure his return to the United States. Garcia lives in Maryland with his wife and five-year-old child.
(With inputs from agencies)