Another federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring back a deported migrant, saying the government broke a court-approved deal. The ruling intensifies an ongoing legal fight over Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to fast-track deportations.
Key Facts:
- U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher ruled that the deportation of a 20-year-old Salvadoran man, “Cristian,” violated a DHS settlement agreement.
- The agreement prohibited the deportation of class members until their asylum claims were fully reviewed.
- Cristian had been convicted of cocaine possession, and DHS argued this made him removable under the Alien Enemies Act.
- Gallagher ordered the administration to request Cristian’s return from El Salvador.
- The judge also issued a restraining order to prevent another deportation under similar terms.
The Rest of The Story:
Cristian entered the U.S. illegally as a minor and was part of a group of asylum seekers protected by a settlement agreement with the Department of Homeland Security.
This agreement required the U.S. to wait until each migrant’s asylum claim was decided before deporting them.
Despite this, Cristian was deported to El Salvador last month.
Judge Gallagher, appointed by Trump, ruled that deporting Cristian was a breach of contract, not just a policy dispute.
Her decision distinguished the case from others involving the Alien Enemies Act by framing it as a legal violation of a signed settlement.
Gallagher instructed the government to work with El Salvador to return Cristian to U.S. custody and to refrain from deporting others in the same protected group without due process.
A second ruling finds that the government wrongly sent another man, identified only as Cristian in court documents, to an El Salvador prison under wartime law despite legal protections https://t.co/NJdD3TUaSu
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 24, 2025
Commentary:
This is another example of the judiciary overstepping its bounds to obstruct an administration trying to restore order at the southern border.
Here we have a man convicted of cocaine possession, and yet a federal judge is tying the hands of the administration that deported him under a valid law.
The court’s decision shows how settlement agreements are now being used as shields for those who entered the country illegally, even if they later commit crimes.
The American people elected President Trump to enforce immigration laws and remove individuals who threaten public safety.
Judges like Gallagher are standing in the way of that mandate.
This ruling ignores the context.
The Alien Enemies Act is not a relic—it’s a tool for national security, and its application is entirely appropriate when dealing with convicted criminals.
The idea that a judge can override executive authority based on a “breach of contract” is absurd when the individual in question has lost eligibility by committing a crime.
We’re watching activist judges systematically dismantle the government’s ability to enforce immigration law.
No similar judicial pushback ever stopped the Biden administration’s open border policies, which led to record illegal crossings and rising crime.
But now, when deportations are happening, judges are racing to interfere.
President Trump should not be bound by activist rulings that defy common sense.
The administration has few options left if it’s going to make this country safe again.
Radical steps may be necessary to restore order and uphold the law.
The Bottom Line:
A Trump-appointed judge has ruled against the Trump administration, ordering the return of a deported migrant and blocking future removals of similarly situated individuals.
The ruling, based on a DHS settlement, ignores the administration’s national security rationale.
This is yet another judicial roadblock hindering efforts to enforce immigration law.
The Trump administration is left facing a growing legal war against its mission to protect the country’s borders.
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