Filed Date: March 24, 2026
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding in progress
On March 24, 2026, a Venezuelan national who had entered the U.S. lawfully and was awaiting an immigration hearing scheduled for 2028 filed a Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuit against the United States of America in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleges that on March 13, 2025, plaintiff was detained by ICE officers while heading to work in Irving, Texas. According to the allegations, the officers claimed his tattoos indicated membership in the gang Tren de Aragua, which plaintiff denied. The complaint further alleges that plaintiff was then transported under the Trump Administration's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and sent to El Salvador's CECOT prison instead of Venezuela as promised, in violation of a federal court order. Plaintiff allegedly spent four months in CECOT where he suffered physical and psychological abuse before being released to Venezuela in July 2025. The lawsuit brings four counts under the Federal Tort Claims Act: negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, abuse of process, and false imprisonment. Plaintiff seeks compensatory damages of at least $1,300,000, along with a declaratory judgment, attorneys' fees and costs, and other relief the Court deems necessary.
This case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (3/27/2026)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72600914/parties/leon-rengel-v-united-states/
Boasberg, James Emanuel (District of Columbia)
Eisen, Norman Larry (District of Columbia)
Kolb, Joshua Gabriel (District of Columbia)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72600914/leon-rengel-v-united-states/
Last updated March 27, 2026, 2:34 p.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Challenges to the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: March 24, 2026
Case Ongoing: Yes
Case Details
Other Dockets:
District of District of Columbia 1:26-cv-01008
Available Documents:
Case Summary of Leon Rengel v. United States, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/47973/ (last updated 3/27/2026).