The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has suspended attorney Erez Reuveni for failing to “zealously advocate on behalf of the United States” after he publicly acknowledged the department’s wrongful deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran national. Garcia, who had been granted “withholding of removal” status by the Board of Immigration Appeals in 2019 due to threats from the Barrio 18 gang, was wrongfully removed from the U.S. despite legal protections against his deportation.
Reuveni admitted in court that the DOJ had no legal grounds to deport Garcia, as the Board’s decision was final and unchallenged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite this, Garcia was arrested by ICE officers without a warrant and forcibly deported, landing in one of the world’s most dangerous prisons, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where rival gang members are intentionally mixed, placing Garcia at heightened risk of violence from Barrio 18.
Following Reuveni’s suspension, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered Garcia’s immediate return to the U.S., emphasizing that the government had violated Garcia’s due process rights. Xinis criticized the DOJ’s handling of the case, stating that Garcia was placed in a facility designed to punish rather than protect detainees. She also noted the lack of urgency in the DOJ’s efforts to resolve the issue, citing Reuveni’s failure to provide a satisfactory explanation.
The DOJ had requested a pause on Judge Xinis’s ruling, but the request was denied. Reuveni and his supervisor, August Flentje, have both been placed on administrative leave for their mishandling of the case. Reuveni had only recently been promoted to Deputy Director at the Office of Immigration Litigation.
Source: Ram Eachambadi, JURIST
