Trump officials wrongly deported trans woman in violation of court order | American immigration
The Trump Administration is working to return to the United States another individual who was wrongfully deported to their home country in violation of a court order.
Officials admitted in a lawsuit last week that Britannia Uriostegui Ríos, a transgender woman, was “inadvertently” deported to Mexico in violation of the contraception law. Court order in March Which ruled that she would likely face torture if she returned there.
The administration is working to return Oreostegui Rios to the United States from Tijuana while searching for an alternative country to deport her. Uriostegui Rios is too prosecution To force the administration to release her from custody upon her return to the United States.
A resident of Nevada, who has Criminal recordlost her lawful permanent resident status in 2023 after pleading guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. She was given a suspended prison sentence and then placed in removal proceedings, with an immigration judge ordering her deportation earlier this year.
But the judge blocked the administration from deporting her to Mexico, suggesting she would be tortured or killed as a result of her transgender status.
Despite this, Oriostegui Rios’ lawyers told Politico that she was suddenly transferred from Louisiana to Texas and put on a bus bound for Mexico. After lawyers made inquiries, the Ministry of Justice admitted the error.
“ICE has confirmed that your client was inadvertently transferred to Mexico,” a Justice Department lawyer wrote in a Nov. 12 email filed in federal court. The next day, the attorney added: “ICE is prepared to address the inadvertent removal by allowing your client to voluntarily return to the United States if he or she desires.”
According to the court filing, the administration has tried unsuccessfully to send Oreostegui Rios to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador since March.
The US Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been contacted for comment.
It follows the high-profile case of Kelmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration in March, despite a court order preventing him from being sent there because he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family.
After the case attracted national attention and even pressure from the US Supreme Court, the Trump administration eventually returned him to the United States in June.
However, on the day he returned to the United States, Abrego was indicted on human smuggling charges, which a federal judge concluded last month could be illegal retaliation against the Trump administration.
Abrego pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. If convicted, Abrego will be deported, federal officials said. Last month, a US immigration judge rejected his asylum request, although he can appeal.