This editor is no lawyer — everything he knows about the law he learns from freelancer Aaron Walker's Legal Deep Dives™ — but he is befuddled by how people who are not U.S. citizens who entered and are living in the U.S. illegally seem to have all of the constitutional protections that citizenship provides. For example, a Venezuelan who was deported to CECOT prison in El Salvador last year is filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying he was denied due process.
A Venezuelan migrant who was deported from the United States to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison last year has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging he was wrongfully removed without due process. https://t.co/zDrQCrMAh7
— ABC News (@ABC) March 25, 2026
Laura Romero reports for ABC News:
"Through a series of unconstitutional and ultra vires acts by high-ranking federal officials and law enforcement officers, Plaintiff Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel was wrongly identified as a member of the gang Tren de Aragua, repeatedly denied due process, falsely imprisoned, intentionally deceived, and — ultimately — illegally sent to El Salvador in blatant violation of a court order," the lawsuit filed on Tuesday states.
Rengel is one of more than 250 Venezuelan nationals released to their home country from CECOT in a prisoner swap last July, after being removed from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process.
The Trump administration deported two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to the El Salvador prison by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States.
Rengel is seeking $1.3 million in damages.
Hold on a second, this editor needs a moment to process. A man living here illegally is deported and then demands $1.3 million in damages? When does the U.S. collect for the damages done to the country by Joe Biden's open border policy?
"We hear far too much about gang members and criminals' false sob stories and not enough about their victims," read a statement issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Preach.
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Foreigners can come to our country illegally, scam taxpayers without consequence, and then sue us if we ever actually deport them.
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) March 25, 2026
Which US non profit tax exempt entity is behind this lawsuit? https://t.co/0vhMXjDXUj
That's a very good question. Who is paying this guy's attorneys? ABC News' story doesn't mention, but lawsuits like this are usually filed in conjunction with the ACLU or a similar nonprofit.
Hopefully we sue him for costs associated with him entering this country illegally. Including all court and police costs spent on his "due process".
— Giorgio (@CAGenXer) March 25, 2026
I hope in his lawsuit he is awarded a hanky.
— Ken (@KenRETFCCM) March 25, 2026
I also hope he is counter sued for entering illegally and they push to recover the cost to deport him and house him in El Salvador.
Illegal immigrants who are not citizens should not be receiving taxpayer funded due process.
— ThatEngineer (@MidMoEngineer) March 25, 2026
They can either pay for it themselves or go home.
This is bullshit.
Did he use “due process” to enter our country illegally?
— Roamingokie🇺🇸 (@Roamingokie405) March 25, 2026
Dude had no right to be here. He could’ve self deported but did not. Smell ya later.
— Joey Snipes (@joeysnipes19) March 25, 2026
Who is funding these broke illegal aliens? That little puke Mark Elias is my guess with our tax dollars funneled through NGOs
— RickyVaughnsHeater99 (@RHeater99) March 25, 2026
Due process for illegals is sending them out of the country. We aren't going to waste centuries of legal time doing bullshit court cases and appeals.
— Thersites (@2Thersites) March 25, 2026
This is a great example of when counter suits are not only justified, but morally required. Put a stop to this proceduralist nonsense and make the consequences clear.
— H. Beauregard (@MssrBeauregard) March 25, 2026
Tell him to suck it. He has no legal right to be here, nor should he have any due process.
— Unwoke Sentinel (@UnwokeSentinel) March 25, 2026
We’ve already been through this. This is DOA.
— Born on the Crest of a Wave (@Willow_of_the_D) March 25, 2026
Hmm… wonder who his lawyer is🧐
— Anna Jones (@ajonestime63) March 25, 2026
Yes, a lot of us are wondering this. Maybe he found another inmate at CECOT who's a lawyer. Or maybe some bleeding-heart NGO sent a team of lawyers there looking for someone to sue the Trump administration.
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