The Trump administration deported a father of two who helped them prosecute Mexican drug cartels and put him at extreme risk of torture, Maryland court records show.
The man, identified only as John Doe, was the subject of a memorandum opinion filed Friday by U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher.
Doe was granted Deferral of Removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) in 2024 after an immigration judge found he would likely be tortured if returned to Mexico, where he had testified against cartel-affiliated defendants on behalf of the Justice Department.
Journalist Kyle Cheney wrote on social media Sunday that Doe "was illegally removed three times in recent weeks," including once to Mexico despite his CAT protection. Gallagher's opinion details a chaotic series of removals beginning in July, including one attempt to deport Doe to Guatemala, which refused to accept him and handed him to Mexican officials, who also declined to take him. Doe was deported to Mexico outright on Aug. 1 “without his phone or other personal belongings.”
The opinion notes that Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director David Venturella and Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally moved to terminate Doe's CAT protection just days before his removal in a process the court called "extremely rare,” and with no explanation in the record for their involvement.
Former immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote that Doe "put himself at enormous risk to turn on the cartels and testify against them, making him a target for a hideous death if they ever got their hands on him," adding that "the Trump admin deported him to Mexico anyway."
Journalist Christy Somos described the pattern more broadly, writing that the administration is "just grabbing people and throwing them wherever – other countries, camps, in danger."
Gallagher ordered Doe's immediate return and directed that he be detained within 200 miles of Baltimore, Maryland, if held further, with daily status reports required until he arrives.
A man who aided US authorities by testifying against Mexican cartels was illegally removed *three times* in recent weeks — including to Mexico, where he had protection from deportation due to threat of torture/death.
A judge in MD has ordered his return.https://t.co/McUyfk3yFLpic.twitter.com/7hlurhoRG4
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 23, 2026