Appeals court orders Trump administration to return Venezuelan migrant deported to El Salvador

Published May 20, 2025 2:15pm ET



A federal appeals court on Monday ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a young Venezuelan migrant who was deported to a Salvadoran prison, marking the second time a court has demanded the Trump administration retrieve a migrant from El Salvador over concerns about the legality of his deportation.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block a judge’s earlier order requiring the return of a 20-year-old migrant identified in court filings as Cristian. The panel found the administration violated a class-action settlement protecting unaccompanied minors from deportation while their asylum claims are pending.

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