Politics

AG Bondi Places DOJ Lawyer On Leave For Failing To Adequately Defend Admin In Deportation Case

Published

6 days ago

April 6, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that a Justice Department lawyer has been placed on leave for failing to “zealously” advocate its position in a case involving a suspected gang member who was deported to El Salvador last month.

Bondi’s office placed Erez Reuveni, who argued for the government, in Friday’s hearing in which a judge ruled that Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned to the U.S. by Monday, has been placed on indefinite paid leave.

“At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,” Bondi told the New York Times in a statement. “Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.”

During court proceedings, Reuveni told the judge that Garcia’s deportation was a “mistake” stemming from an administrative error. On Saturday, the Trump Administration argued that Judge Paula Xinis has no right to force Garcia’s return when arguing the case further in an emergency appeal.

“Late Friday afternoon, a federal district judge ordered the United States to force El Salvador to send one of its citizens – a member of MS-13, no less – back to the United States by midnight on Monday. If there was ever a case for an emergency stay pending appeal, this would be it,” the government wrote in the emergency appeal, which was obtained by Fox News.

The government has further argued that the matter is out of their hands, as Garcia has already been deported to El Salvador. “Nevertheless, the court’s injunction commands that Defendants accomplish, somehow, Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States in give or take one business day,” the appeal continues, calling it “indefensible.”

The filing went on to argue that Judge Xinis “lacked the power” to require the government “on the clock, to try to force a foreign country to take a discrete action,” Fox News reported. “Abrego Garcia has been found to be a member of a designated Foreign 3 Terrorist Organization, MS-13. Given that status, he has no legal right or basis to be in the United States at all,” the DOJ added.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia

Five years ago, an immigration judge ruled that Garcia could not be deported to his home country over fears that he will be targeted for retribution by Salvadoran gangs. His request for asylum was denied, but he was granted protection from deportation.

The Immigration Judge also found that Abrego-Garcia was a flight risk, noting his “history of failing to appear for proceedings pertaining to his traffic violations.” In addition, the judge reviewed the evidence and found that it “show[ed] he is a verified member of MS-13,” concluding that Abrego-Garcia did not demonstrate “that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others.”

“The American people should know who this individual is. He’s not some American father as the mainstream media will make you believe, he’s actually a member of MS-13, and was involved in trafficking. It’s unbelievable the framing of this. Whether this man is in El Salvador or in a U.S. detention center, he should be locked up,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in response to the judge’s ruling mandating Garcia’s return.