In a significant breach of legal protocol, the Trump administration has admitted to wrongfully deporting a transgender woman to Mexico despite an explicit court order prohibiting her removal to the country where she faced likely torture.
Court Order Ignored in Deportation Process
Britania Uriostegui Rios, a Nevada resident, was "inadvertently" removed to Mexico in violation of a March court ruling that determined she would probably face torture or death due to her transgender status if returned there. The admission came in a court filing last week where officials acknowledged the serious error.
The justice department confirmed the mistake in a 12 November email filed in federal court, stating: "ICE confirmed that your client was removed to Mexico inadvertently." The following day, the department added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement stands ready to remedy the situation by allowing Uriostegui Rios to voluntarily reenter the United States.
Dangerous Situation for Transgender Individual
Uriostegui Rios had lost her lawful permanent resident status in 2023 after pleading guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon, receiving a suspended criminal sentence before being placed in deportation proceedings. While an immigration judge ordered her deportation earlier this year, they specifically barred the administration from sending her to Mexico because of the credible threat of violence against transgender individuals in the country.
Despite this protection, lawyers for Uriostegui Rios revealed to Politico that she was abruptly transported from Louisiana to Texas and placed on a bus to Mexico last week. The administration is now working to bring her back to the US from Tijuana while seeking an alternative country for deportation.
Pattern of Erroneous Deportations Emerges
This case follows a similar high-profile incident involving Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador in March despite a court order protecting him from removal to a country where his family had been targeted by gangs. After national attention and pressure from the US supreme court, the Trump administration returned him to the US in June.
However, Ábrego's case took another troubling turn when he was indicted on human smuggling charges the same day he arrived back in the US. A federal judge concluded last month that these charges could represent illegal retaliation from the Trump administration.
Court documents reveal that since March, officials have unsuccessfully attempted to send Uriostegui Rios to several other countries including:
- Costa Rica
- Nicaragua
- Honduras
- El Salvador
Uriostegui Rios is currently suing to force the administration to release her from custody upon her return to the United States. The US Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have all been approached for comment on this developing situation.
