Salvadoran Man Deported Twice in Violation of Court Orders

Nelson Ariel Umanzor Chavez, a Salvadoran national who entered the United States in 2015 as an unaccompanied minor, was deported on two separate occasions despite existing judicial restraints. After an asylum claim was denied in 2019, a federal court granted him withholding of removal under the Convention Against Torture, recognizing a risk of torture if he returned to El Salvador. In November, Umanzor Chavez was sent to Mexico in breach of a temporary restraining order issued by a federal judge. Upon arrival, he was placed in an undisclosed prison; his family has received no information about his condition or whereabouts, according to a declaration cited in the latest court filing.

Talking Points Memo

The case was first highlighted by Politico reporter Kyle Cheney and involves two distinct judicial directives: (1) a federal court’s temporary restraining order preventing removal to Mexico, and an immigration-court order from 2019 prohibiting deportation to El Salvador on torture-risk grounds. Both orders were issued under the authority of U.S. immigration law and international treaty obligations.

Talking Points Memo

U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., a Trump-appointed judge, denied Umanzor Chavez’s request for relief on the basis that his petition focused on the earlier, now-reversed Mexico deportation rather than the more recent El Salvador removal. The judge granted the petitioner until the following month to amend his pleadings to address the second deportation.

Talking Points Memo

Umanzor Chavez remains detained in El Salvador, with his exact prison location and health status unknown. The family’s lack of information was documented in a declaration attached to the court order. The case highlights ongoing challenges in enforcing court-ordered protections for individuals facing potential torture abroad.

Talking Points Memo

The double deportation underscores tensions between executive immigration enforcement and judicial safeguards designed to prevent refoulement. It also raises questions about compliance with the Convention Against Torture and the mechanisms for monitoring the whereabouts of deported individuals when court orders are ignored.

Talking Points Memo