A judge found the Trump administration in contempt Friday for twice deporting asylum-seeker E.L.A. to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. The judge ordered his return to the U.S. and barred execution of any removal orders until his asylum case is fully processed.
Court documents say E.L.A. voluntarily boarded a plane back to the U.S. on Aug. 7 after his first deportation and submitted himself to immigration custody. He spent weeks in detention before being deported a second time to the country where he feared persecution.
The case stems from a 2019 federal class-action lawsuit protecting the asylum rights of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as unaccompanied minors. Court documents say 54 confirmed class members and 53 others the government flagged as potentially protected—at least 107 people altogether—were removed under final deportation orders before their asylum claims were decided. Judge Stephanie Gallagher found DHS in civil contempt in August over repeated removals. Friday's order requires both sides to report on E.L.A.'s return by Oct. 2; DHS did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
