A federal judge threatened Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III with contempt of court for deporting asylum seekers after Department of Justice lawyers assured him none would be deported before Friday.
After learning that a mother and her daughter were on a plane to El Salvador, the judge was furious, thundering that the DOJ should get that plane turned around and the two asylum-seekers returned to the United States, posthaste. He also threatened Sessions with contempt of court before he issued an order stopping all deportations of asylum seekers fleeing gang and domestic violence situations.
Jacob Soboroff reports: "And [Judge Sullivan] quite literally said to the government, get these people back here as soon as you can. You can't deport plaintiffs in the middle of a case when we're adjudicating this rule in the first place!"
The deported mother and daughter were hand-picked to send a message to women and girls fleeing violence in Central American countries: Don't come here.
In the meantime, the plane will indeed be turned around in El Salvador and "Carmen" (a pseudonym) and her minor daughter J.A.C.F. will return to the United States for a proper asylum hearing.
This case is one brought by the ACLU to challenge the DOJ's policy change with regard to women and girls who flee their country and the violence they're experiencing to come to the United States and seek asylum. Earlier this year, the DOJ announced they would no longer consider domestic violence or gang violence criteria for asylum.
Seriously.
This judge should absolutely hold Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III in contempt. Absolutely. And Stephen Miller. And Donald J. Trump. Every one of these old white bigots should be held in contempt and tossed in jail for a couple of days as the beginning of some justice for those women and girls.
