Judge orders Trump administration to return deported Honduran to U.S.

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring a young Honduran man back to the United States, ruling that he was deported after allegedly being misled into signing away his right to a hearing.

Jose Eliezer Martinez Andino, 20, was deported to Honduras on April 13, despite expressing fears about returning to his home country. He had been detained by immigration agents in Montana on March 18. His lawyers filed a lawsuit, alleging that for over ten days, neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nor Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provided information about his whereabouts or custody status, despite repeated requests.

The administration eventually revealed that Martinez Andino had been expelled because he supposedly agreed to leave voluntarily. However, Martinez Andino maintains he was not properly informed about the documents he signed and was told signing was his only option. He is the father of a 3-year-old daughter who was financially dependent on him.

U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell stated in her ruling that Martinez Andino's expulsion was a direct result of violations of his due process rights under the Fifth Amendment. "Given that his expulsion was a direct consequence of these violations of his due process rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, the defendants are ordered to facilitate his return to the United States," the judge wrote. She also noted that Martinez Andino entered the U.S. at age 14 fleeing his father's abuse and that he would suffer irreparable harm if forced to remain in Honduras.

“

Given that his expulsion was a direct consequence of these violations of his due process rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment, the defendants are ordered to facilitate his return to the United States.