Judge halts deportations of Aurora ICE detainees to El Salvador
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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention facility in Aurora. Photo: Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images
At least 11 detainees held at the ICE facility in Aurora have been transferred to the notoriously dangerous CECOT prison in El Salvador, according to Tim Macdonald, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
Yes, but: Following a Denver federal judge's temporary restraining order issued Tuesday, future transfers to the infamous mega-prison could be halted for Venezuelans held in Aurora's processing center.
Why it matters: The order could benefit other detainees and marks the latest court ruling against ICE's actions.
Driving the news: Macdonald is representing two unnamed Venezuelan nationals detained in Aurora who filed a lawsuit earlier this month against President Trump and other federal officials.
- The suit challenges the U.S. government's authority to deport them.
The latest: On Tuesday, Denver federal judge Charlotte Sweeney ruled that the Trump administration cannot deport Venezuelan detainees in Aurora to a prison in El Salvador without providing proper notice and an opportunity to challenge the deportation in court.
- Sweeney's ruling follows her initial order last week that temporarily halted Alien Enemies Act deportations in Colorado, and a Supreme Court decision on Saturday that blocked deportations at a Texas detention center under the same 1798 wartime law.
The big picture: Sweeney's decision affects not just the two Venezuelans named in the suit but all other Venezuelan detainees in Aurora who face imminent deportation under the Alien Enemies Act.
- Macdonald estimates that more than 100 detainees in Aurora could be affected by the ruling.
Zoom in: Details remain scarce on the 11 Colorado detainees recently transferred to El Salvador.
- One — 28-year-old Jose Eduardo Moran-Garcia, a Salvadoran national — was sent back to El Salvador on March 28. ICE Denver stated he is wanted for aggravated homicide, unlawful groupings, displacement of individuals and robbery in his home country.
- Another, 22-year-old Venezuelan Yohendry Jerez-Hernandez, was transferred, according to his attorney, despite no final deportation order being issued, 9News reports.
- Nixon Perez, 19, a Venezuelan living in Aurora, was among 238 Venezuelans deported on March 15 after being accused by federal immigration authorities of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, CBS News reports.
What's next: Sweeney's temporary restraining order is in place until May 6, but can be extended, the Colorado Sun reports.
What we're watching: Whether the Trump administration appeals the Denver federal judge's ruling.
- Officials from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to Axios Denver's requests for comment.