HOUSTON, United States

A federal judge on Monday ordered the Donald Trump administration to facilitate contact between a Venezuelan man, who was deported from the US to El Salvador, and his lawyers, according to media reports.

Widmer Josneyder Agelviz Sanguino, 24, arrived in the US with his mother and two younger brothers last September as part of the US refugee resettlement program.

However, when the family arrived at the airport in Houston, Agelviz Sanguino was detained due to a tattoo on his arm that contained a clock and rose which are associated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Immigration documents reviewed by NBC News showed that he had no criminal record and that there was no additional evidence linking him to a gang. Agelviz Sanguino was scheduled to have an immigration court hearing, but he was suddenly deported to an El Salvador supermax prison along with nearly 200 other alleged gang members under Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) before he stepped foot in the courtroom.

"My son is not a gang member," his mother, Lisbeth Carolina Sanguino, told NBC News. "He’s a young man who’s never hurt anyone."

Attorneys for Agelviz Sanguino and the other deportees have argued that the mass deportations violated their due process rights to a court hearing, which has fueled legal challenges to the Trump administration's use of the AEA.

Judge Keith Ellison of the Southern District of Texas gave the government 24 hours to confirm Agelviz Sanguino's location and 48 hours to "restore and help maintain attorney-client communication" with him, pushing the deadline to comply with his order to Wednesday.

"This shows that the court is as concerned as we are as to the whereabouts of this individual and the illegal justification for his continued detention," Javier Rivera, the lawyer representing Agelviz Sanguino, said in an interview.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the order to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals.

A White House official addressed the issue through a statement, saying: "DHS (Department of Homeland Security) intelligence assessments go well beyond just gang affiliated tattoos and social media. Tren De Aragua is one of the most violent and ruthless terrorist gangs on planet earth. They rape, maim, and murder for sport. President Trump and Secretary (Kristi) Noem will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens."

"We are confident in our law enforcement’s intelligence, and we aren’t going to share intelligence reports and undermine national security every time a gang member denies he is one. That would be insane," the statement continued.

Agelviz Sanguino's case mirrors that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, the Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador under similar circumstances. There have been a series of legal battles and rulings to facilitate contact between Abrego Garcia and his attorneys, but a direct order to do so has not been initiated.