Dead but deportable: US immigration judge signed order to eject teen murder victim
Summary
An immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, ordered the deportation of Levi Mendez-Maldonado, a young man from Honduras who was killed in 2024, because he did not appear in court. Despite notice of his death and submission of police records, the judge conducted the hearing without acknowledging his death and issued the removal order in his absence.Key Facts
- Levi Mendez-Maldonado, from Honduras, came to the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor at age 17.
- He was murdered in a shooting in November 2024.
- An immigration judge signed a deportation order on May 21, 2026, stating Mendez-Maldonado failed to appear in court.
- His lawyer informed the court about his death and presented police records, but the judge found the proof insufficient.
- The judge's deportation order made no mention of Mendez-Maldonado’s death.
- The Charlotte immigration court handles cases from North and South Carolina and has a backlog of about 129,000 cases.
- The court granted relief in only about 1% of cases in 2025.
- Advocates say this case shows how the immigration system can treat immigrants without recognizing their human dignity, even after death.
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