Trump's Justice Department Finally Told a Lie So Brazen It Had to Take It Back

"It had put forth false information in its effort to secretly deport hundreds of young immigrants to Guatemala in the dead of night. DOJ lawyers had previously told a judge that the children's parents were all clamoring for them to be sent back to Guatemala. In truth, however, not a single parent requested their child's return, and many were not prepared to take them in if they suddenly arrived on their doorstep."

"On Labor Day weekend, the government tore hundreds of unaccompanied minors from their beds in the middle of the night and tried to pop them onto flights to Guatemala without notice or due process of any kind. This could have been Judge James Boasberg and those flights to El Salvador all over again. But because judges are learning as they go, it didn't become that. Then this week, it became manifest just how bad things were. The wonky part of this is that there's a presumption of regularity, right?"

"There's a long-standing presumption that Justice Department lawyers don't straight-up lie to the courts. And we've heard judges clocking that this But there's also something here to file under "shit you tell your toddlers." Because Drew Ensign did not, in fact, go to the court and say: By the way, I lied last week."

The Department of Justice admitted in court to presenting false information while attempting to deport hundreds of unaccompanied minors to Guatemala overnight. DOJ lawyers told a judge that parents were clamoring for their children to be returned, but no parent requested a child's return and many would not have been prepared to accept a sudden arrival. The operation removed children from their beds and attempted flights without notice or due process. The revelation underscores a presumption that DOJ lawyers act with regularity, highlights prior instances of deceptive courtroom conduct, and raises concerns about accountability and protections for vulnerable children.

Read at Slate Magazine