BALTIMORE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation helped galvanize opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, was released from immigration detention on Thursday. A federal judge ruled that any further efforts to detain him must be halted.
Abrego Garcia is currently barred from being deported to his home country of El Salvador due to a 2019 immigration court order which acknowledged his “well-founded fear” of danger should he return. However, the Trump administration has indicated he cannot stay in the U.S. Efforts have been made to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and most recently, Liberia.
Fighting this process, Abrego Garcia's legal team claims the administration is manipulating immigration laws to penalize him for successfully challenging his earlier deportation.
**Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?**
Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen who has lived in Maryland for several years, alongside his American wife and child. He immigrated illegally as a teenager to join his brother, a U.S. citizen. In 2019, he was granted protection from deportation due to safety concerns in El Salvador. In March, however, he was mistakenly deported back to El Salvador, despite the protection order.
Upon his return to the U.S. in June, he faced a different set of legal troubles with an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges following a traffic stop in Tennessee.
**In Custody Since March**
Abrego Garcia was held in a notorious Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record after his deportation. Initially, the Trump administration resisted efforts to bring him back, but compliance was enforced based on U.S. Supreme Court directives. Upon returning, his liberty was short-lived; he was soon detained again at an immigration check-in.
**No Deportation Order**
On Thursday, federal judge Paula Xinis ruled that he should be released immediately and noted procedural errors in his previous immigration case. Without a formal removal order, the government lacks the grounds to pursue his deportation.
**Possible Next Steps**
Legal experts highlight that reopening Abrego Garcia’s immigration case could lead to more asylum battles amid systemic issues with immigration courts. Alternatively, the government might appeal the ruling, attempting to validate the implied deportation orders.
**Free for Now**
Following the ruling, he was released to return home but instructed to report to immigration the next day. His attorneys sought clarification from the court, resulting in a temporary restraining order against his detention.
**Criminal Case Continues**
In parallel, Garcia faces criminal charges in Tennessee related to human smuggling. He pleaded not guilty and maintains that the prosecution appears to be retaliatory due to his earlier legal victories against wrongful deportation.
Abrego Garcia is currently barred from being deported to his home country of El Salvador due to a 2019 immigration court order which acknowledged his “well-founded fear” of danger should he return. However, the Trump administration has indicated he cannot stay in the U.S. Efforts have been made to deport him to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and most recently, Liberia.
Fighting this process, Abrego Garcia's legal team claims the administration is manipulating immigration laws to penalize him for successfully challenging his earlier deportation.
**Who is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?**
Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen who has lived in Maryland for several years, alongside his American wife and child. He immigrated illegally as a teenager to join his brother, a U.S. citizen. In 2019, he was granted protection from deportation due to safety concerns in El Salvador. In March, however, he was mistakenly deported back to El Salvador, despite the protection order.
Upon his return to the U.S. in June, he faced a different set of legal troubles with an arrest warrant on human smuggling charges following a traffic stop in Tennessee.
**In Custody Since March**
Abrego Garcia was held in a notorious Salvadoran prison despite having no criminal record after his deportation. Initially, the Trump administration resisted efforts to bring him back, but compliance was enforced based on U.S. Supreme Court directives. Upon returning, his liberty was short-lived; he was soon detained again at an immigration check-in.
**No Deportation Order**
On Thursday, federal judge Paula Xinis ruled that he should be released immediately and noted procedural errors in his previous immigration case. Without a formal removal order, the government lacks the grounds to pursue his deportation.
**Possible Next Steps**
Legal experts highlight that reopening Abrego Garcia’s immigration case could lead to more asylum battles amid systemic issues with immigration courts. Alternatively, the government might appeal the ruling, attempting to validate the implied deportation orders.
**Free for Now**
Following the ruling, he was released to return home but instructed to report to immigration the next day. His attorneys sought clarification from the court, resulting in a temporary restraining order against his detention.
**Criminal Case Continues**
In parallel, Garcia faces criminal charges in Tennessee related to human smuggling. He pleaded not guilty and maintains that the prosecution appears to be retaliatory due to his earlier legal victories against wrongful deportation.
