A federal appeals court has ruled the Board of Immigration Appeals, intent on ensuring a Salvadoran ex-gang member’s deportation, denied him fair and impartial proceedings.

In a precedential opinion on Dec. 17, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated the board’s finding that Nelson Quinteros committed an aggravated felony and failed to show that he was entitled to relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).