DOJ attorney placed on administrative leave

(NBC, KYMA/KECY) - A Justice Department attorney who struggled in court Friday to explain the Trump administration's deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador has been placed on administrative leave, according to a department official.

At the hearing, the government attorney, Erez Reuveni, expressed frustration over not having information the judge was seeking in the case of the deported man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and made clear he had was not getting much help from his superiors.

The attorney also said Abrego Garcia should not have been "removed," adding that he didn't know why garcia was ever arrested, and said, "I am also frustrated that I also have no answers for you on a lot of these questions."

Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement following the news that Reuveni had been placed on leave.

Bondi said, "At my direction, every department of justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States. Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences."

Abrego Garcia was deported to an infamous El Salvador prison on March 15. He is a protected legal resident and had been living in Maryland since 2011.

Judge Paula Xinis ruled Friday that the government must return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. by Monday at 11:59 p.m.