US Hits Salvatore Mancuso with a Deportation Order to Colombia

MIAMI, KOMPAS.com - A former Colombian paramilitary leader will not be heading for Italy as the Trump administration blocked the scheduled removal of Salvatore Mancuso.

The Trump administration intends to deport Salvatore Mancuso to his South American homeland where he is found responsible for hundreds of war crimes.

The former Colombian paramilitary leader was notified of the surprise reversal on Sunday, according to two people familiar with the matter.

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They discussed the proceedings on the condition of anonymity.

Lawyers for Salvatore Mancuso have 14 days to challenge the deportation order.

Mancuso's removal to Italy, where he also has citizenship, was ordered by the Department of Homeland Security in April after he completed in March a 12-year sentence for cocaine trafficking.

But he's been held in federal custody ever since as Colombia's government fights to have him returned to continue with truth and reconciliation efforts that stalled in 2008 with the extradition to the US of 14 warlords, including Mancuso, the former top commander of the United Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.

Just a week ago, Justice Department attorneys reaffirmed before a Washington, D.C. federal court the Trump administration's pledge to remove Mancuso to Italy no later than September 4.

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Attorneys for Mancuso went to court seeking to force Attorney General William Barr to carry out the April 15 order removing Mancuso to Italy, arguing that that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had “illegally detained” their client beyond the maximum 90 days allowed for the removal of aliens.

However, in substituting Colombia for Italy, US officials cited a provision in the US Immigration and Nationality Act that allows the Attorney General to disregard the country designated for an alien's removal if it is deemed that carrying out the order would be “prejudicial to the United States", according to the two people familiar with the proceedings.

The Justice and State Department declined to comment, referring all inquiries to DHS, which didn't respond to the AP's request.

Mancuso can still prevent his removal to Colombia if granted asylum in the US like his ex-wife and youngest child.

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