Justice Department lawyer placed on leave after questioning deportation of Maryland man

‘Every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States,’ Pam Bondi says

A top immigration attorney at the Department of Justice was placed on indefinite leave Saturday after he questioned the deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador, according to The New York Times.

A letter obtained by the paper which had been sent to Erez Reuveni, the acting deputy director of the immigration litigation division, states that he was suspended by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for not following “a directive from your superiors.”

This comes after Reuveni was promoted just two weeks ago. He’s one of several career officials who have faced demotion, suspension, a transfer, or been fired for not following directions from Trump appointees.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told the Times, “At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States.”

“Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences,” she added.

Reuvani appeared in court on Friday, where a federal judge asked him if the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia should have taken place. The attorney conceded that Garcia, who had a court order allowing him to stay in the U.S., shouldn’t have been deported, adding that he had been frustrated when he received the case.

The Department of Justice has suspended one of its top attorneys (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Reuvani asked the judge for 24 hours to try to persuade the Trump administration to start the process of bringing back Abrego Garcia. But within those 24 hours, Blanche claimed that Reuvani had been “engaging in conduct prejudicial to your client.”

The 15-year veteran of the Department of Justice was suspended with pay and blocked from his work email. The letter didn’t state how long he would be placed on leave or if he would be disciplined.

Judge Paula Xinis in Washington argued that officials had acted without “legal basis” when they detained Abrego Garcia and sent him to a megaprison in El Salvador without due process, giving the administration until the end of Monday to bring him back.

On Saturday, the Justice Department requested that the federal appeals court above Xinis pause her order.

“That order is indefensible,” the attorneys wrote. “Foremost, it commands defendants to do something they have no independent authority to do: make El Salvador release Abrego Garcia, and send him to America.”

The department has accused Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13, a gang active in several countries with Salvadoran roots. However, the department has put forward little evidence to support their claims, which Abrego Garcia has rejected.

“In a court of law, when someone is accused of membership in such a violent and predatory organization, it comes in the form of an indictment, complaint, criminal proceeding — a robust process, so we can address the facts,” said Xinis during a Friday hearing. “I haven’t yet heard that from the government.”