January 31, 2020
For immediate release
Oumar Yaide’s legal team at Pangea Legal Services releases a statement following a federal status conference regarding DHS’ compliance with U.S. District Court Judge Breyer’s order to bring Oumar back to the United States:
In a status conference on Friday, January 31, Judge Charles Breyer affirmed the urgency and importance of returning Oumar to the United States as quickly as possible. Judge Breyer stated the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) is currently not in compliance with his order to return Oumar to the U.S. Underlying the urgency of this case, Judge Breyer set a status conference for next Friday, February 7, and has demanded that DHS provide an explanation by that date of the exact steps they will take to return Oumar quickly and safely to the United States. Judge Breyer emphasized that, in order to maintain the rule of law, court orders must be followed, or appealed -- not ignored.
“Judge Breyer’s statements today support our longstanding position: if the government can obtain travel documents to deport an individual, then the government can obtain travel documents to bring them back,” said Sean Lai McMahon, Oumar’s immigration attorney. “Bureaucratic hurdles should not be an obstacle or a burden to enforcing Oumar’s due process rights and right to seek asylum in the United States.”
###