Judge's order blocking removal of man from U.S. wasn't received until after he was deported, DHS says

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News/AP

Oct. 30, 2025, 11:15 AM EDT


NEW ORLEANS — Immigration authorities did not receive word of a court order blocking the removal of a man living in Alabama until after he had been deported to Laos, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday, dismissing claims that officials violated the order.

Chanthila "Shawn" Souvannarath, 44, was deported on Friday, according to his attorneys, a day after a federal judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, told U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep him in the country so that he could present what the judge called a "substantial claim of U.S. citizenship."

Souvannarath was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but has lived most of his life in the U.S. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the judge's order keeping him in the country "was not served" to ICE until after Souvannarath had been deported. "To the media's chagrin, there was no mistake," McLaughlin said in a statement. DHS and ICE did not respond to questions from The Associated Press seeking additional details on the timeline and how officials receive federal court orders.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Souvannarath, asked U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick to order his immediate return to the U.S., calling the deportation "unlawful." "ICE has acted in direct opposition to a federal court order, which should disturb everyone," said Nora Ahmed, legal director of the ACLU of Louisiana.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judges-order-blocking-removal-man-us-wasnt-received-was-deported-dhs-s-rcna240739

[Lovie777]

1. Liars..........................

[al bupp]

2. I call bullsh*t

[ificandream]

3. Reading further down into the story, DHS' attitude was to say 'fuck you' to the media

From further into the story:

McLaughlin said Souvannarath "lost his green card" and was ordered to be deported in 2006 following convictions for "heinous crimes" — assault and unlawful possession of a firearm — and "had no right to be in this country." It was not clear why Souvannarath was not previously taken into ICE custody.

In 2004, Souvannarath was convicted of unlawful firearm possession and assault against his then-girlfriend in King County, Washington. He had also been convicted of a misdemeanor assault against the same woman several years before, court records show.

"20 years later, he tried a Hail Mary attempt to remain in our country by claiming he was a U.S. citizen," McLaughlin wrote in her statement. "I know its shocking to the media — but criminal illegal aliens lie all the time."

Souvannarath's wife, Beatrice, described him as a hard worker and loving father who stayed out of trouble since his run-ins with the law two decades ago. He's mostly worked installing air conditioners and heaters, she said. "He doesn't even drink," she said.

The DHS was determined to deport him. Seems like they were going to deport him no matter what the judge said.

[ificandream]

4. And what's with all this deporting people to places they've never been?

At the least, deport him back to relatives in Laos. They're treating people like they're garbage. Which is apparently the intention.

[Solly Mack]

5. Fart noises.

Liars.

[Emile]

6. Well they need to bring him back then.

[bluestarone]

7. Needs to ONE person in contact with judges BEFORE they make any decisions to DEPORT anybody.

Maybe judge could order to contact court BEFORE any deportation decisions.

[Eugene]

8. looks like another race to the airport

How many times will this have to happen before judges call this out as defiance?

[intheflow]

9. Riiiiight. Because deporting people before their deportation hearing is decided

is exactly how the law works.

By the way, isn't that what they said about the exportations to El Salvador? "So sorry, your Honor, but the flights were already in the air over international waters when you ruled to not export them. Whoopsie! Nothing we can do now!"

Didn't work then, ain't gonna fly any better now.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Yeah RIGHT. Lawyers on both sides would have known about this immediately. nt

[FBaggins]

13. They would not

He didn’t have a lawyer and the order was made ex-parte (meaning the government wasn’t there). There was nobody in court to hear about the order.

The judge’s order instructs the clerk to serve it to the same address that the pro-se litigant served the initial filing to. It would be highly unusual for that to happen by the next morning.

[question everything]

11. Why Laos? And once there what, then? Placed in jail? Does Ms. Botox have any say here?

[FBaggins]

14. That's the best question

They seem to think that’s his proper country - and they may be correct (a Thai refugee camp at the time likely means Hmong fleeing Laos from a communist takeover after the Vietnam war).

But the Hmong had to flee because they had worked with the Americans during the war… so sending him back to a country his parents fled and that he never saw - seems significantly F’d up

[moniss]

12. They knew very well that the hearing was

going to take place. Any person or group trying to comply with the due process decision already handed down regarding the deportations generally would hold off making a move until the judge in the hearing about a specific potential deportee had made a decision.

Furthermore I would remind Tricia McLaughlin that it may be shocking to her but DHS and ICE-American Gestapo personnel lie all the time too.