Asylum Seeker Sent to El Salvador Prison by Grossly Wrong Paperwork

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Frengel Reyes Mota, an asylum seeker with a clean record, failed to show up for his asylum hearing this week because, using paperwork riddled with errors, Donald Trump deported him to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador without due process.

The Miami Herald reported he was among the hundreds sent to CECOT using powers claimed under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. He was taken when he went to his regular check-in appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He has no blots on his record and no tattoos.

Deporting an asylum applicant requires a court order to be legal.

At his asylum hearing, ICE showed its arrest paperwork. The wrong name appeared in it six times, Carlos Ortiz-Morales. In some places the paperwork referred to Reyes Mota as “she” and “her.” The wrong immigration number was included in the description.
When Mota’s lawyer pointed out these defects in court,  the judge asked ICE if they made a mistake. ICE lawyers said they will “look into it.”
The court “froze” Mota’s asylum case so he can pick it up where he left off, if he is ever released by El Salvador and if he is able to return to the USA. 
In the meantime, his wife, 9 year old stepson and dog miss him.