The whistleblower, Erez Reuveni, was fired from his position as a deputy director at the Department of Justice (DOJ) after he told a district judge that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was a mistake due to an “administrative error.” The emails corroborate Reuveni’s claims that his boss, Emil Bove, told those working on the case that they would need to “say fuck you to the courts” in order to implement Trump’s immigration enforcement plan.
While preparing for the case, Reuveni sought guidance from his superiors on what claims he could make based on DOJ evidence. He was instructed to tell the judge that Abrego Garcia was a “verified member” of the gang MS-13, and that he wasn’t in any immediate danger while detained at the Salvadoran mega-prison, CECOT, although the DOJ had no evidence to support either claim. Reuveni was also warned not to verbally mention that the deportation was a mistake, as the admission was buried at the bottom of a previous court filing.