US judge orders Trump admin to help return wrongfully deported Guatemalan asylum seeker

ANKARA

A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must take action to bring back a Guatemalan asylum seeker who was unlawfully deported earlier this year, despite having expressed fears of violence and torture, US media reported on Saturday.

The man, identified as O.C.G., applied for asylum in the US in 2024 after reportedly enduring multiple violent attacks in Guatemala, CNN reported, citing court documents.

During his journey to the US, he was also raped and held for ransom in Mexico—experiences he disclosed during his immigration hearings.

Although an immigration judge initially ruled that O.C.G. should not be deported to Guatemala, he was still placed on a bus to Mexico two days later, without being allowed to fully present his case or consult with his attorney.

From there, Mexican authorities deported him to Guatemala, where he now lives in fear of being targeted again by his previous attackers, according to court filings.

O.C.G.'s deportation likely violated due process, CNN quoted a ruling released by US District Judge Brian Murphy late on Friday.

While O.C.G. had voiced concerns about being sent to Mexico, the immigration judge reportedly assured him that such a transfer couldn't happen without additional procedures—steps that were ultimately overlooked, the ruling said.

“Those necessary steps, and O.C.G.’s pleas for help, were ignored. As a result, O.C.G. was given up to Mexico, which then sent him back to Guatemala, where he remains in hiding today,” Murphy said.

This is the third known case in which the Trump administration has been ordered to reverse a wrongful deportation.