ICE Ordered To Return Man Deported To African Nation He Has No Ties To
Nicaraguan national Kenis Lopez was sent to the Central African Republic despite "known risks to foreigners" in the country.
In a ruling on Friday, a federal judge in Minnesota ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to return Nicaraguan national Kenis Adalberto Lopez Gonzalez to the United States. Lopez had been deported to the Central African Republic in August despite having no ties to the country or having ever visited it. Despite having lived in Shakopee, Minnesota, run a construction company and had no criminal record, Lopez was detained in January 2026 amid a large-scale enforcement operation in Minnesota and deported to the Central African Republic in August.
Court documents revealed that Lopez feared bodily harm if he left the country, as he was "a target for violent criminals" and "there are serious and known risks to foreigners in the Central African Republic." The court found that immigration officials likely violated his due-process rights when Lopez was taken into custody this year.
Lopez's attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said the administration has defended third-country deportations as a necessary and fair enforcement tool in situations where an individual's country of origin will not accept them. However, the judge ordered ICE to arrange for and facilitate Lopez's return to the District of Minnesota "as soon as practicable."
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