Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Fire InterAmerican Foundation Leaders

Several Latin American-based nonprofits sued, saying the Trump administration overstepped its authority when it fired IAF’s entire board. 

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington on Feb. 19, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—A federal judge in Washington blocked President Donald Trump’s administration on April 4 from firing the leadership of the InterAmerican Foundation (IAF) and canceling most of its grant contracts.

U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan delivered her ruling after an April 2 hearing that covered requests for injunctions in two lawsuits—one on behalf of the foundation’s president, Sara Aviel, and the other brought by a group of Latin American-based nonprofits.

The order prevents Aviel’s removal and Pete Marocco, director of the State Department Office of Foreign Assistance, from serving as an acting board member of IAF. It also voids any actions Marocco took in his role as acting board member, including grant terminations.

Led by Cristobal Human Rights, the groups alleged that the Trump administration overstepped its authority when it fired IAF’s entire board and replaced them with Marocco.

“Congress’s enactment of the IAF’s organic statute and other relevant legal authorities make clear that the Board holds hiring and firing power over the IAF’s president and CEO,” AliKhan said in an opinion.

“Therefore, to the extent President Trump purported to terminate Ms. Aviel from her role on February 26, that termination violated the Appointments Clause,” she added, referring to the portion of the Constitution that covers presidents’ authority to appoint officials.

Attorneys for the government said making such changes is part of Trump’s executive power.

IAF was established by Congress in 1969, and works with nonprofits in Latin American countries to examine the root causes of migration.

According to court documents, Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh, agents of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrived at IAF’s headquarters on Feb. 20, informing its leadership that they had come to improve the foundation’s technology systems.

Later, according to court documents, IAF’s president realized that DOGE was there to carry out one of Trump’s executive orders, which called for a reduction of the foundation’s staff and grant-making capabilities “to the minimum presence required by law.”

IAF’s leadership refused to comply, and nearly a week later, on Feb. 26, Aviel received an email from Trent Morse, deputy director of the Presidential Personnel Office, informing her she was fired. Two days later, Morse sent another email informing IAF’s board members that they were also fired, and that Marocco had been appointed sole board member.

Marocco, as the only member, then called an emergency board meeting to cancel all of the foundation’s grant contracts except one, and announced he would cut all staff except its newly hired president, Dominic Bumbaca, according to the court documents.

The plaintiffs alleged these moves violated federal law, which requires a consultation with the Appropriations Committees of both the House and Senate before restructuring the foundation.

All board meetings, they said, were legally required to be public and announced one week in advance.

The government countered that such changes are inherently within the authority of the executive branch.

“No statute limits or prohibits the president’s prerogative to ensure that the foundation has temporary leadership, particularly in the context of a presidential transition,” they wrote in documents submitted to the court.

The nonprofits’ suit amounted to a contractual dispute, and IAF’s new leadership—Marocco and Bumbaca—had the right to cancel whichever grants they wanted, the government also said.

At the April 2 hearing, the government said IAF’s congressionally appropriated $30 million will still be spent.

Judge AliKhan seemed skeptical, telling the government, “I guess I’m just confused because I don’t know how one grantee and one employee can spend $30 million in the next six months.”