U.S. judge says immigration lawyers can despise Trump administrators

Baltimore– A federal judge in Baltimore cleared the road to a potential constituency lawsuit filed against the Trump administration on Tuesday after failing to comply with a court order that required the return of Venezuelan immigrants from El Salvador to the U.S. court order.

The latest news from U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher has brought an extraordinary court hearing to center the status and location of “Christian”, a 20-year-old Venezuelan immigrant who was deported to the CECOT highest security prison in El Salvador in March as part of the early Trump administration’s deportation of Arian enemy operations.

Gallagher told Cristian’s lawyers Tuesday that the latest update in the case could give plaintiffs the possibility of sanctions or a contempt lawsuit against the Trump administration, though she stressed that she did not think the effort would be successful.

“I don’t agree with the basis you may seek some form of sanction or contempt,” Gallagher said. “I certainly am not a ruling on this, nor have I made any comments on whether this effort will be successful – but in my opinion you have provided the basis you think this motion may be coming.”

Federal judge expands debate in Abrego Garcia case

She also stressed that despite the changes in the proceedings of the courts, it does not mean that they are “abandoning the ships” to ensure Christian’s efforts to return to the United States, although she acknowledged that the situation on the ground had changed a lot.

The Trump-appointed Gallagher ruled in April that Cristian’s deportation violated a settlement agreement that last year attacked the Department of Homeland Security with a group of young asylums. Under the 2024 deal, the Department of Homeland Security agreed not to expel members of the class until a U.S. court can fully rule its shelter requirements.

The hearing sharply underlines the ever-changing factual pattern of Christian’s custody status. A few days ago Christian was expelled from Sercot, El Salvador, to his native Venezuela.

Gallagher said Tuesday that the new situation put the court “in a different position” compared to his position a week ago.

Cristian’s lawyer argued that the move was not notified in advance and should be a reason to continue to declare the Trump administration’s crimes. The judge did not rule it out in her case.

In Gallagher’s ruling four months ago, she determined that Cristian’s removal was a “breach of contract” due to the settlement clause of the 2024 DHS deal. She then ordered the Trump administration to promote his return to the United States

But, as clear on Tuesday’s hearing, Daniel Lozano-Camarago or the immigrant “Cristian” mentioned in court documents did not travel to the United States from Cecot.

In fact, Justice Department lawyers confirmed Tuesday that he was deported from Cecot to his native Venezuela, along with 251 other Venezuelan immigrants, and the Trump administration expelled from the U.S. from El Salvador in March in March, using only three times the Walter-era immigration law in U.S. history.

Their return to Venezuela was part of the exchange of prisoners for the release of 10 Americans detained in the country and was confirmed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

It also attracted profound attention to the status of hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants sent from Cecot to their country of origin. Very little is known about individuals who were deported to CECOT earlier this year, and it is unclear whether or how many people have been given a “detention and removal” order, blocking them from the United States to return to Venezuela.

Christian’s attorney Kevin Dejong raised the Trump administration Tuesday for his “blatant disregard” of Gallagher’s orders and described his order to be included in prisoner exchange as a “grave violation” of the April order.

Federal Judge James Boasberg

President Donald Trump addressed reporters after signing the announcement in the Oval Office of the White House on April 17, 2025. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Plaintiff said Tuesday that the Trump administration dispatched [Cristian] He is seeking asylum Venezuela, “no notice was given to the court or the legal team before he was on the ground.

Dejong argues that the exchange appears to have been working in the engineering for several weeks, saying the Trump administration has taken “positive, purposeful steps to deport from the country [Cristian] He is actively worried about the persecuted country. ”

Dejong said the government’s “repeated violations” and “blatant disregard” [DHS] a settlement agreement to settle the court order, and an order to file an identity report. ”

“I won’t say it’s a matter of consideration, but considering the history of infringement here,” Dejong said.

Gallagher disagreed. She told the plaintiffs that they appeared to have been under the foundation for the Trump administration to “possibly seek some kind of sanctions or contempt”, although she stressed that she did not have the success of the effort.

She also noted that the update does not mean that the court “gives the ship” in its efforts to ensure Christian returns to the United States, although she acknowledges that things have changed a lot on the ground.

After a brief break, Christian’s lawyer told Gallagher that they would propose appropriate sanctions related measures within the next 10 days.

Gallagher said during this time that she will still ask the Trump administration to submit a weekly identity report on Christian’s identity in Venezuela.

She also had outstanding exchanges with Justice Department attorney Ruth Ann Mueller, as Mueller argued that any ongoing discovery of Mueller’s status in Venezuela was “out of the court’s relief” as it had been provided.

They believe that since the matter is meaningless now, the case should be dismissed, and Gallagher strongly dismissed it.

Gallagher then asked how the Trump administration’s documents so far answered the court’s questions about whether it was in line with her order to request the El Salvador administration to return Christian to the United States or to help “promote his reward.”

The Justice Department believes that the issue is also controversial because Cristian is now detained by Venezuelans.

“No, that doesn’t fit my order,” Gallagher said. “That didn’t answer this question.”

Another immigrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported to El Salvador, which has similarities to the case of Cristian. (Fox News)

The case has many similarities with the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case

Like Abrego Garcia, Cristian remained in El Salvador for several months, despite a court order requiring him to file and requiring the government to regularly update his identity to determine compliance with the order.

But Tuesday’s motion hearing – a lightning bolt from the court filing to Gallagher in recent days showed that it highlighted a very different situation.

“Christian is the pawn of the plan,” Dejohg said Tuesday.

He believes that “they could have included him” a flight back to the United States with Abreg Garcia.

Instead, Deqiong said: “The only reasonable inference we see is that government lawyers deliberately ignore it” the court.

Gallagher refused to approve the Trump administration’s request for her to lift the order in May, demanding that they return to Christian. She stressed that her order had nothing to do with the strength of his asylum demands, a tribute to two apparently low-level drug crimes and recent beliefs.

Instead, it was about allowing him to follow the law, and under the resolution of the DHS, she said.

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She said at the time whether Lozano-Camarago will eventually gain asylum – a question of the process.

The DHS settlement agreement “requires him here and to hold a hearing,” she said.