Asylum Seeker Deported to El Salvador Again, Judge Holds DHS in Contempt
Sep 1, 2026·Location: LA
Country of origin: El Salvador

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.
Sources
- Judge presses DHS after teen deported despite order: 'who was responsible?'
Newsweek·Sep 4, 2026·archived copy
- davisvanguard.org
- Three Orders, Two Deportations, One Contempt Finding: A Judge Rules DHS Broke Its Word to a Young Asylum Seeker Again
askwhy.news·Sep 29, 2026
- First at TPM: Teen Deported TWICE This Year in Violation of Multiple Court Orders
morningmemo.talkingpointsmemo.com·Sep 3, 2026
Related incidents
- Texas pastor deported to Ghana, a country he has never visitedOct 6, 2026 · Mesquite, TX
- Babson College student deported to Honduras despite judge's order, now fights for returnOct 5, 2026 · Boston, MA
- Guatemalan man re-detained by ICE moments after judge ordered his releaseOct 1, 2026 · Fort Snelling, MN
- Venezuelan man nearly deported despite court order barring his removalSep 28, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ
- Mexican man re-arrested by plainclothes agents seconds after court-ordered releaseSep 25, 2026 · Fort Snelling, MN
- Asylum seeker deported to El Salvador again despite three court orders, second contempt findingSep 25, 2026