The Trump administration received a scathing rebuke Friday from a federal district court judge in Virginia, who said there's "no reason" why a Venezuelan couple is being held — and told a government lawyer, "If this was a criminal case … I’d throw you out of my chambers.”
Judge Leonie Brinkema granted a release request filed by the couple, who received temporary protected status after illegally crossing the border in 2022, The Washington Post reported.
In doing so, Brinkema delivered a stern slap on the wrist to the Trump administration's lawyer for arguing the couple were a threat to the public and ordered them to be released from the courthouse.
“There is no reason why they’re being held,” the judge said, according to the report.
Addressing a government lawyer, Brinkema said, “If this was a criminal case … I’d throw you out of my chambers.”
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The couple was detained last week while they drove in Suitland, Maryland, with their 4-year-old son.
The Trump administration said in court filings that before marrying, the mother was previously married to a member of Tren de Aragua and called her an “affiliate” of the gang as well as a “senior member,” Brinkema said at the hearing, according to the Post.
That logic didn't sit well with the judge.
“Is somebody an affiliate because he or she is married to a member of the gang?” the judge asked, adding: “This is a terrible, terrible affidavit," describing the characterization as "pure hearsay,” “assumptions,” and “putting words in people’s mouths.”
Celebrating the judge's rebuke, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X, "This is why due process matters!"