Prompting widespread accusations of racism, President Donald Trump lashed out at the judge, claiming that he was unable to hear the case fairly because he was “Mexican.” | Getty Judge attacked by Trump to oversee Dreamer deportation lawsuit

Gonzalo Curiel, the judge Donald Trump attacked as a candidate because of his “Mexican heritage,” will hear another case involving the president — this time, a lawsuit filed against his administration by a 23-year-old undocumented immigrant who was recently deported.

Juan Manuel Montes, who had protected status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as the Dreamers program, filed a complaint on Tuesday arguing that government officials who deported him to Mexico failed to offer him documents outlining why his deportation was legal.


The Department of Homeland Security released a statement Wednesday acknowledging that Montes had been granted DACA status through 2018, but argued that he had lost it because he had previously left the U.S. without advance parole, violating the terms of the DACA agreement.

Curiel, the judge assigned the case, previously oversaw a pair of California lawsuits against Trump University, which eventually resulted in a settlement.

Prompting widespread accusations of racism, Trump lashed out at the judge, claiming that he was unable to hear the case fairly because he was “Mexican.” Curiel, whose parents were Mexican immigrants, was born in Indiana.