A federal judge has ordered that a Venezuelan immigrant deported to El Salvador should be returned to the U.S.

On Wednesday night, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, appointed by President Trump, ruled that a 20-year-old Venezuelan man’s removal violated a previous court settlement, and that the government should facilitate his return. Gallagher also ruled that the government should not deport anyone else covered by the settlement.

In 2019, a class action lawsuit was filed by immigrants who came to the U.S. as unaccompanied minors and sought asylum in order to have their applications processed while they stayed in the country. The government and the plaintiffs settled the case in 2024. But the Trump administration broke the agreement by sending one of the immigrants, known under the pseudonym “Cristian” in court records, to El Salvador last month as part of three deportation flights to the country.

“At bottom, this case, unlike other cases involving the government’s removal of individuals under the Alien Enemies Act, is a contractual dispute because of the Settlement Agreement,” the attorneys for the plaintiff said, referring to the eighteenth-century wartime authority Trump used to justify deporting noncitizens with little to no due process.

In her ruling, Gallager mentioned the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whom the government mistakenly deported to El Salvador, saying that “like Judge [Paula] Xinis in the Abrego Garcia matter, this court will order Defendants to facilitate Cristian’s return to the United States so that he can receive the process he was entitled to under the parties’ binding Settlement Agreement.”

The Trump administration said that Cristian was arrested in January for possession of cocaine and that “his designation as an alien enemy pursuant to the [Alien Enemies Act] results in him ceasing to be a member” of the class in the lawsuit. This may be moot now, though, as a federal judge ruled last week that any deportations under the 1798 law require the government to provide advance notice and a court hearing.

But the White House has shown a flippant disregard for court orders that go against its wishes, and they aren’t likely to respond favorably to Gallager’s ruling. Each day, the administration’s deal with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele to send immigrants to the country is looking more and more legally questionable, but nothing appears to be changing, despite rebukes from multiple judges.

Donald Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine as soon as he returned to the Oval Office—but late Wednesday, amid a collapsing peace deal, Russia dropped more bombs on Kyiv.

By early Thursday—nearly 100 days into Trump’s second term—the president had resorted to begging his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to stop the violence.

“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

Russia barraged Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones for 11 hours Wednesday night. The attack killed at least eight people and injured more than 70, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told Reuters.

The Kremlin claimed the attack was aimed at Ukraine’s defense industry, allegedly targeting manufacturing plants that produced “rocket fuel and gunpowder,” but the targets it hit were instead in five different Kyiv neighborhoods.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy decried the attack as “one of (Russia’s) most outrageous.”

State Secretary Marco Rubio spontaneously pulled out of Ukraine peace talks Wednesday after Zelenskiy plainly rejected a U.S.-backed deal that would permanently hand over Crimea to Russia.

“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelenskiy said, at a press conference in Kyiv Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our Constitution.”

Responding via a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Trump claimed that the territory was “lost years ago” and “and is not even a point of discussion.”

In a statement released later that day, Zelenskiy stressed that his country was dedicated to achieving peace—but that Ukraine “will always act in accordance with its Constitution.”

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned Wednesday night’s attack, denoting Russia and the country’s “war aims” as the obstacle to ending the war.

“While claiming to seek peace, Russia launched a deadly airstrike on Kyiv,” Kallas wrote on X. “This isn’t a pursuit of peace, it’s a mockery of it.”

Trump expressed optimism on striking a new trade deal with China after he placed aggressive 145 percent total tariffs on the country. The Chinese government called his bluff immediately. 

“We’re dealing with a lot of countries right now and could be with China, but maybe we’ll make a special—you know, a deal—and we will see what it will be. Right now, it’s at 145 percent, that’s very high,” Trump said on Wednesday.

Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson He Yadong directly rejected that assertion........

© New Republic