Justice Department fires immigration lawyer who argued case of mistakenly deported man

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Source: CNN

The Justice Department has fired an immigration lawyer who the Trump administration has accused of sabotaging its legal case over the mistaken deportation of a Salvadoran man, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Erez Reuveni argued the government’s case in the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration has said was sent to his native El Salvador last month due to a clerical error, despite a court order that he not be deported.

Reuveni was initially placed on administrative leave days after he expressed frustration with the government’s inability to provide answers to questions from a judge in the case. In court, he said of the government’s position: “Our only arguments are jurisdictional. … He should not have been sent to El Salvador.”

Asked why the US couldn’t simply ask for Abrego Garcia’s return, Reuveni said, “The first thing I did when I got this case on my desk is ask my clients the same question,” adding that he did not get a direct answer.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/15/politics/doj-fires-immigration-lawyer-who-argued-abrego-garcia-case-source-says/index.html