Photo via ABC News (US)

Judge finds Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting asylum-seeker

Read the original at ABC News (US) ↗
Cite

Romero, L. (2026, September 25). Judge finds Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting asylum-seeker. ABC News (US). https://abcnews.com/US/judge-finds-trump-administration-contempt-deporting-asylum-seeker/story?id=136765172

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

ABC News (US) · collected 2026-09-25 · by Laura Romero

Quick Summary

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated three court orders and committed contempt of court by wrongfully deporting an asylum-seeker named E.L.A. twice to El Salvador. Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered the government to bring E.L.A. back to the U.S. and cease further deportation efforts until his case is resolved, as part of a larger lawsuit protecting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. The article highlights that at least 107 individuals protected by this settlement were removed before their claims were processed, indicating broader systemic issues with compliance.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A federal judge found the Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting an asylum-seeker identified only as E.L.A. back to El Salvador, despite three court orders against it. Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered the government to return E.L.A. and stop any further removals until his case is fully processed. After his first deportation, E.L.A. voluntarily returned to the U.S. on August 7 but was deported again, violating his asylum rights. This case stems from a 2019 federal class-action lawsuit protecting unaccompanied minor immigrants' asylum rights; at least 107 people, including E.L.A., are protected by this settlement.

Written for “Contempt Of Court For Deportation” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Contempt Of Court For Deportation
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 20% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
What is Trump’s third-country deportation policy and who does it target? Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Trump's third-country deportation policy in general, while Article B reports on a specific legal case where a judge found the administration in contempt for twice deporting an asylum-seeker to El Salvador.”
Judge blocks deportation of immigrant shot by ICE in Texas, attorney says Different event
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 65/100
“The articles describe different incidents involving separate individuals and legal proceedings.”
Administration to ask Supreme Court to allow swift deportations to 3rd countries Different event
ABC News (US)
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 67/100
“Article A discusses a legal action by the administration regarding swift deportations to third countries in general, while Article B reports on a specific case of an asylum-seeker being deported in violation of court orders.”
Trump revives Supreme Court immigration showdown after Hochul pardon torpedoed first case Different event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 34 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different legal actions by the Trump administration: one about requesting Supreme Court review of immigration detention policies and another about a judge finding the administration in contempt for deporting an asylum-seeker.”
Supreme Court rules Trump admin can continue deporting migrants to 3rd countries Different event
ABC News (US)
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 5 claims Outlet record 67/100
“The articles describe different legal rulings regarding the Trump administration's deportation policies; one involves contempt for deporting an asylum-seeker against court orders, while the other is about the Supreme Court allowing rapid third-country removals.”
Appeals court weighs fate of judge's contempt probe over Trump administration deportation flights Different event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 34 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different stages of legal proceedings related to deportation orders, not the same specific incident.”
Supreme Court lets quick deportations to third countries resume for now while it weighs Trump policy Different event
Toronto Star
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different judicial actions regarding immigration policy and deportations under the Trump administration, not the same specific incident.”
Supreme Court takes up fight over Trump’s third-country illegal alien deportation policy Different event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 6 of 20 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different legal actions regarding immigration policy and a specific case of an asylum-seeker being deported twice in violation of court orders.”
DC Circuit grapples with allowing Boasberg to continue contempt inquiry into Trump officials Different event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 17 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different legal proceedings related to the same broader issue but do not cover the same specific incident.”
US supreme court allows Trump officials to resume deportations to third countries Different event
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 1 of 5 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different legal actions involving the Trump administration and immigration, but they clearly refer to distinct court orders and decisions.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
10
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
20%
2 of 10 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
67/100
ABC News (US)'s corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

ABC News (US) · 1353 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)
2026-11-03
Tennessee escaped murderer caught near Kansas City
2026-10-24
Christa Pike's attorney describes botched execution, concerns about 'blown' veins
2026-10-04
Tennessee Corrections commissioner resigns days after failed Christa Pike execution
2026-09-25
'Like a horror movie': Ukraine's Oleshky faces 'catastrophe' under Russian occupation

Who wrote this

Laura Romero
12 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Immigration advocacy groups have raised concerns about the initiative, arguing that the same government seeking to deport the minors under the administration's immigration crackdown should not be representing them in court. A DHS spokesperson told ABC News, "Many of the children who came across the border unaccompanied were allowed to be placed with sponsors who were smugglers and sex traffickers." "Unlike the previous administration, President Trump and DHS take the responsibility to protect children seriously and will continue to work with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reunite children with their families," the spokesperson said.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Trump administration offering migrant children $3,000 to self-deport
🔮 The announcement, posted by the Department of Health and Human Services, says that HHS lawyers under a new agency division will "provide direct legal services to unaccompanied alien children."
2026-10-09 · assertive framing · Trump administration to use government lawyers to represent migrant children
🔮 Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was returned to the U.S. after being mistakenly deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison, is set to return to federal court in Maryland on Tuesday to continue fighting his deportation case.
2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Kilmar Abrego Garcia returns to federal court to continue fighting deportation case
🔮 The 63 lawmakers wrote that they are "gravely concerned that ORR would entrust a vulnerable population with firms so plainly unqualified for the task."
2026-09-28 · assertive framing · Democrats press HHS over legal representation of migrant children
🔮 The Trump administration will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to continue swiftly deporting immigrants to third countries that are different from their country of origin, Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Thursday.
2026-09-24 · assertive framing · Administration to ask Supreme Court to allow swift deportations to 3rd countries
🔮 According to the lawsuit, immigrants were routinely transferred to third countries with little to no notice when the administration cited "diplomatic assurances" that the receiving nation would not mistreat them.
2026-09-19 · assertive framing · Appeals court rejects swift deportation of immigrants to third countries
🔮 Moreno de Armas was living in Miami with his family and working at a meatpacking plant when federal immigration authorities detained him last May.
2026-09-16 · assertive framing · Latino immigrants say they're in legal limbo after being deported to African country
🔮 The DHS spokesperson said ICE training will now be extended to 72 days from 42 days.
2026-09-05 · assertive framing · ICE whistleblower alleged agency was shortcutting vetting process for new hires
Also by Laura Romero
ICE officer who struck man with vehicle during pursuit indicted: DA
2026-10-30 · ABC News (US)
SCOTUS won't restore policy that lets immigration judges close deportation cases
2026-10-27 · ABC News (US)
Trump administration offering migrant children $3,000 to self-deport
2026-10-13 · ABC News (US)
Trump administration to use government lawyers to represent migrant children
2026-10-09 · ABC News (US)
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 12 articles by Laura Romero →

Topics

E.L.A. El Salvador Trump U.S. the Trump administration

Subjects

U.S. GPE · 5× E.L.A. GPE · 3× El Salvador GPE · 2× ABC News ORG · 1× DHS ORG · 1× Gallagher PERSON · 1× Stephanie Gallagher PERSON · 1× Trump PERSON · 1× the Department of Homeland Security ORG · 1× the Trump administration ORG · 1×

Narrative

After his first deportation, he voluntarily boarded a plane on August 7 to return to the U.S., "submitted himself" to immigration custody, and "endured weeks of detention only to be wrongfully removed by the government a second time to his country of feared persecution."
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
2026-09-25 · ABC News (US)
Judge finds Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting asylum-seeker · assertive framing

Claims (10 extracted, 2 hedged)

Judge finds Trump administration in contempt for twice deporting asylum-seeker The man was twice deported to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. asserted
man → find → orders
A federal judge on Friday found the Trump administration in contempt for deporting an asylum-seeker to El Salvador in violation of three court orders. asserted
administration → find → orders
U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ordered the government to return the man -- identified in court documents as E.L.A. -- to the U.S. and to "refrain" from executing any removal orders against him until his asylum case is fully processed. asserted
case → order → him
According to court documents, E.L.A. was wrongfully deported twice. uncertain
E.L.A. → accord → documents
After his first deportation, he voluntarily boarded a plane on August 7 to return to the U.S., "submitted himself" to immigration custody, and "endured weeks of detention only to be wrongfully removed by the government a second time to his country of feared persecution." asserted
he → board → persecution
The case stems from a 2019 federal class-action lawsuit that protects the asylum rights of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as unaccompanied minors. asserted
who → stem → minors
According to court documents, at least 107 people protected by the settlement -- 54 confirmed class members and 53 more the government flagged as potentially protected -- were removed under final deportation orders before their asylum claims were decided. uncertain
claims → accord → orders
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News. asserted
spokesperson → respond → News
In August, Judge Gallagher found DHS in civil contempt, ruling that the government was repeatedly removing young asylum seekers it was legally barred from deporting. asserted
it → find → seekers
Friday's court order requires both parties to provide an update on E.L.A.'s return to the U.S. by Oct. 2. asserted
order → require → Oct.
💬Give feedback · no sign-in needed

No sign-in needed for now. Your note is sent without a name, so it cannot be answered.

🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 4 Nov 2026