Only in North Carolina would an immigration judge issue deportation papers for a dead man (said the native North Carolinian). I wish I could say I was surprised to read this.

> A North Carolina immigration judge ordered the deportation of Levi Mendez-Maldonado, a 19-year-old Honduran immigrant who was murdered in 2024, even after his attorney informed the court of his death and provided police records documenting it. The judge ruled that he had failed to appear for his hearing and issued a removal order without mentioning his death in the decision, prompting criticism from immigration advocates who called the case an example of a dehumanizing and overly bureaucratic system. Mendez-Maldonado had been pursuing an asylum claim and had legal representation at the time of his death, while his homicide case remains unsolved.

-- Aaron Parnas, THE PARNAS PERSPECTIVE, June 3, 2026

#aaronparnas #substack
#northcarolina #immigration
#unsolvedhomicide #uspol
#deportationorder