MIAMI – Trump’s leadership has blocked the planned return of a former Colombian paramilitary chief to Italy and now intends to deport him to his South American country, where he has been convicted of heaps of war crimes.
Salvatore Mancuso won a notification of the reversal of wonder on Sunday, according to two other people close to the case who discussed the procedure on condition of anonymity. Your attorneys have 14 days to challenge the deportation order.
Mancuso’s return to Italy, where he is also a citizen, was ordered through the Department of Homeland Security in April after serving a 12-year sentence in March for trafficking cocaine.
But he has since been arrested through the federal government, as the Colombian government struggles to bring him back to continue the events and reconciliation efforts that stalled in 2008 with the extradition to the United States of 14 warlords, Mancuso, the former commander-in-chief. head of the United Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC.
Just a week ago, Justice Department attorneys reaffirmed in federal court in Washington, D. C. , the Trump administration’s commitment to send Mancuso back to Italy until September 4.
Mancuso’s lawyers went to court to force Attorney General William Barr to enforce the April 15 order to deport Mancuso to Italy, arguing that U. S. immigration and customs police had “illegally detained” their consumer beyond the maximum 90 days allowed for the return of foreigners.
However, by replacing Colombia with Italy, U. S. officials cited a provision in the US Immigration and Nationality Act. But it’s not the first time It allows the Attorney General to undermine the country designated for the deportation of a foreigner if it is believed that the execution of the order would harm the United States,” according to the other two persons close to the process.
The Department of Justice and State refused to comment and forwarded all requests to DHS, which responded to the Palestinian Authority’s request.
Mancuso can still avoid his deportation to Colombia if he is granted asylum in the United States, such as his ex-wife and youngest son. In March, his immigration lawyer told DHS officials that Mancuso had already signed an asylum application and said his consumer was “terrified” at the prospect of returning to Colombia.
“There is absolute certainty about the torture he would suffer and the likelihood of his murder,” attorney Hector Mora wrote in a letter to DHS officials, which has been revealed in recent court records. “He is the target of many tough and American teams that have been framed, criticized and denounced for their cooperation with the U. S. government, their cooperation with the Colombian justice formula, and their multiple statements. “
Mancuso, 55, the utmost regret from former leaders of the right-wing defense forces following their demobilization and the eagerness to talk about the war crimes of the paramilitaries has already shaken Up Colombian politics.
His boast in 2005 that a third of the members of the Colombian Congress had been elected with the help of the paramilitaries triggered a wave of judicial investigations that ended with dozens of arrests of elected officials. His lawyers argue that others still in force have not kept any secrets. of his preference to locate a Colombian court to order Mancuso’s arrest in an effort to silence him.
This month, President Ivon Duque’s government submitted to the United States what his fourth request for extradition from Mancuso is, one of the previous ones was unilaterally withdrawn in July after Mancuso’s legal team, headed by Miami defense attorney Joaquín Pérez, pointed to in a U. S. federal court. which was based on an arrest warrant already revoked by a Colombian judge.
It is known what happened to the other two applications, but neither was validated through a US court. But it’s not the first time While Colombian courts have convicted Mancuso of more than 1,500 acts of murder or enforced disappearance, many crimes are identified as crimes under US law. U. S. from its position in the most sensitive of the AUC chain of command – since the express orders it has given. In 2001, the United States designated the AUC as a foreign terrorist organization.
Mancuso’s lawyers argue that the former paramilitary leader fulfilled his obligations in a 2003 peace agreement he negotiated, which limits criminal sentences to 8 years for defense force leaders who confess their crimes.
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