Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).
A Justice Department lawyer with 15 years of experience in the federal government has been fired by the Trump administration after admitting in court that a protected Maryland resident was mistakenly shipped off to a notorious work prison in El Salvador as part of his deportations of Venezuelan migrants through the unprecedented use of an 18th-century wartime authority, which have since been blocked multiple federal judges.
Erez Reuveni was the acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation earlier this month when Trump administration officials notified him he was being placed on indefinite paid leave for comments he made during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who is presiding over the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. His termination from the Justice Department was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
“The facts are conceded,” Reuveni confessed during the proceeding, which centered around Abrego Garcia being sent back to his native El Salvador without due process, in violation of a court order that he not be deported.
“Mr. Abrego Garcia should not have been removed,” Reuveni told the court. “He should not have been sent to El Salvador.”
Reuveni also appeared frustrated during the hearing, telling Xinis that one of the first things he did upon being assigned the case was ask his “clients” why they had not requested that Abrego Garcia be returned to the U.S., but was not provided with a clear answer, CNN reported.
As previously reported by Law&Crime, Reuveni was suspended following the hearing for failing to “follow a directive” from his superiors.
“He was put on administrative leave by Todd Blanche on Saturday. And I firmly said on Day 1, I issued a memo that you are to vigorously advocate on behalf of the United States,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement addressing Reuveni’s suspension. “Our client in this matter was Homeland Security — is Homeland Security. He did not argue. He shouldn’t have taken the case. He shouldn’t have argued it, if that’s what he was going to do. He’s on administrative leave now.”
