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Asylum Seeker Deported to El Salvador Again, Judge Holds DHS in Contempt

Sep 1, 2026·Location: LA

Country of origin: El Salvador

Asylum Seeker Deported to El Salvador Again, Judge Holds DHS in Contempt
Photo via Newsweek

A teenage asylum seeker identified in court records as E.L.A., now 19, was deported to El Salvador for a second time, prompting a federal judge to hold the Department of Homeland Security in contempt on September 25 for violating three separate court orders in the class-action case J.O.P. v. DHS. He had first been removed in March 2026 after missing biometrics appointments in April and October 2025, then returned to the U.S. in June after class counsel arranged for his asylum case to proceed. A July 29 court order found the government had breached the settlement, but he was deported again in September, less than three weeks after DHS issued internal guidance meant to prevent such removals.

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