Deportation order: US judge tells Trump administration to return Colombian woman from Congo

A US federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata to the US. Zapata, a 55-year-old Colombian woman, was deported to Congo despite Congo refusing to accept Zapata. The refusal cited a lack of care for Zapata’s medical needs. US District Judge Richard J Leon said the deportation was likely illegal.

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The ruling said Zapata has diabetes and a thyroid condition. The court said Zapata now faces daily danger of severe medical complications. The risks include death, according to the decision. Zapata also reported depression, anxiety and insomnia in court papers shared by Zapata’s lawyer.

Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata deportation to Congo and medical risks

Documents Zapata filed described worsening physical symptoms while in detention. Black spots grew on Zapata’s back and foot, the filings said. Zapata’s skin peeled, and Zapata’s nails turned black, the documents stated. "Shes not doing well and does worry that shes going to die,\" Zapata’s lawyer, Lauren ONeal, said.

Since the deportation, Zapata has stayed at a hotel in Kinshasa, Congo’s capital. ONeal said the hotel gates are locked. ONeal said Zapata and other deportees are rarely allowed outside. ONeal said they only leave with supervision.

Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata deportation to Congo despite refusal

Court records said the Congolese government told ICE in writing on April 14. The notice said Congo could not take Zapata. Records show Zapata was sent there within days anyway. Rep Rob Menendez, a Democrat of New Jersey, said Zapata was among at least 15 people sent to Congo.

Menendez compared the situation to Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s case. Menendez said the administration sent Abrego Garcia to a prison in El Salvador. The US Supreme Court later ruled Abrego Garcia must return to the US. \"We have to make the assumption that they are small reflections of what is happening more broadly,\" Menendez said.

\"These are reflective of this administration having zero concern for due process, zero concern for peoples legal rights, trampling all over our legal system, trampling all over individual rights and pushing the bounds and limits in ways we would have never even imagined.\" The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata deportation to Congo after asylum protection

Zapata entered the US from Mexico in August 2024 and went into ICE custody. A judge ruled last year that Zapata could not be deported to Colombia. The decision said Zapata could be tortured if returned. Zapata wrote that a former partner with police ties abused and threatened Zapata.

Zapata’s court filings said the former partner broke Zapata’s teeth. The filings said the former partner stabbed Zapata twice and raped Zapata. The filings also said the former partner threatened to kill Zapata. Court records said the government tried to send Zapata to about six countries. Those countries refused to accept Zapata, the records said.

Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata deportation to Congo and wider removals

ONeal said Zapata was close to signing an agreement to return to Colombia. ONeal said Zapata felt torture there seemed more bearable. ONeal said Zapata believed death there could mean less physical pain. The ruling said Zapata was protected under international torture agreements.

The report said Zapata is among thousands sent to countries where many had no ties. It said people awaiting asylum rulings have been targeted in efforts to increase expulsions. Advocacy groups said more than 15,000 asylum-seekers got deportation orders after claim cancellations. The report said only a small share of orders were carried out.

Few details are known about agreements used to take deportees, the report said. It said the US signed such agreements with several countries. Those countries include Ecuador, Honduras, Uganda, Cameroon and Congo. The report did not describe the terms of these agreements.

Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata deportation to Congo and court deadlines

Judge Leon, nominated by President George W Bush, ordered Zapata’s return quickly. The judge said the government must update the court by 5 pm Friday. The judge also required updates every 72 hours after that. \"It was at least some level of justice for whats been a horrendous broken process for Adriana and her family,\" Menendez said.

Menendez said supporters were not celebrating yet. Menendez said they still had to ensure the administration followed the order. \"It should have never had to happen,\" Menendez said. \"If this is happening, what else is happening that we dont even know about?\"

With inputs from PTI