U.S. government ordered to pay legal fees over Venezuelan deportation

A federal judge in Maryland has ordered the United States government to pay at least $164,527.70 in legal fees and expenses following a lawsuit regarding the deportation of Daniel Lozano Camargo. Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher ruled that the government's actions lacked a reasonable basis in both law and fact.

Lozano Camargo, a Venezuelan national who had sought asylum in the U.S., was deported in March 2025 to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). The deportation occurred after the invocation of the Enemy Alien Act against members of the Tren de Aragua gang. The judge determined that the government's position was not substantially justified, leading to the award of legal costs under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The ruling specifies that the funds are intended for the plaintiffs' attorneys and costs rather than as direct compensation for Lozano Camargo.