A judge found the Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting ELA to El Salvador in violation of court orders and ordered his return to the U.S. No final removal order may be executed until USCIS decides a properly filed asylum application or the settlement expires.
A November 2024 court-approved settlement was meant to protect a class of immigrants from deportation while USCIS handled their pending asylum claims. ELA was deported in March 2026, returned to the U.S. in August after class counsel advocated for him, and sent to El Salvador again on Sept. 1, his attorneys said.
The court also ordered the government to return ELA’s property and documents. His attorneys said he was a minor when first deported and later received humanitarian parole with 10 months remaining when he was deported again. They said he was sent to El Salvador without his belongings, money or phone, and that the government had offered no legal grounds for his detention. The judge’s reasoning remains sealed.
