Court orders US government to return Colombian woman wrongly deported to DR Congo

A US federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring back a Colombian woman who was wrongly deported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in a rare ruling against the government’s immigration enforcement actions.

Judge Richard J. Leon of the US District Court for the District of Columbia found that authorities likely violated the law when they deported 55-year-old Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata in April, despite reported refusal by Congolese authorities to accept her.

The ruling, which was not yet reflected on the public docket as of Wednesday night, was provided to The New York Times by Zapata’s attorney.

Judge Leon directed that Zapata be returned to the United States “as soon as possible” and ordered the government to submit a status update by 5 p.m. Friday detailing steps taken to facilitate her return.

The case represents an unusual instance in which a federal court has ordered the return of a deported migrant under President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policy. It also adds to growing legal scrutiny of the administration’s so-called “third-country” deportation practice, which involves sending migrants to nations with which they have no established ties.

Quiroz Zapata had been in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) before her removal.