Judge Reverses Order for 1 Deported Colombian Woman to Return, Letting Her Remain in Congo
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
Judge Reverses Order for 1 Deported Colombian Woman to Return, Letting Her Remain in Congo
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 8
Summary
Friday’s ruling let Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata stay in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reversing a May order that had told the Trump administration to bring her back.
New evidence showed Congo’s April 14 letter rejecting her on medical grounds reached U.S. officials through her lawyer and Rep. Robert Menendez, not through channels senior immigration or diplomatic officials knew about before her April 16 flight.
Judge Richard Leon said that without proof ICE had been conclusively alerted before removal, there was no basis to keep his earlier order in place, putting Zapata’s challenge on track to be dismissed.
Zapata, a Colombian migrant with diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypothyroidism, was flown to Congo with 14 others under the administration’s third-country deportation policy; most of the others have since agreed to return home with U.N. support.