A federal judge has put a temporary halt to the Trump administration’s move to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member, to Uganda.
Judge Paula Sinis, appointed by former President Barack Obama, issued a suspension of the deportation plan, ensuring that Abrego Garcia has the chance to contest his removal, as reported by the Washington Post.
Abrego Garcia was detained by immigration officials just hours before the order was granted at a local office in Maryland.
Christie Noem from the Department of Homeland Security stated, “Today, ICE law enforcement has arrested Kilmer Abrego Garcia and is handling him for deportation.”
Noem also emphasized that President Trump is committed to preventing individuals like Abrego Garcia—described as an illegal foreigner, gang member, trafficker, and domestic abuser—from endangering American citizens.
The legal decision came after a lawsuit was filed by Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen, seeking to halt his deportation unless given a fair chance to contest it, according to his lawyer, Simon Sandoval Moshenberg.
Sandoval-Moshenberg expressed hopes for a swift status meeting, aiming to secure a provisional order to prevent Abrego Garcia’s deportation while he fights for a proper legal process.
In June, the Trump administration had sent Abrego Garcia and over 260 other gang members back to El Salvador, citing an 18th-century alien enemy law, although there were reported “management errors” in that process.
Abrego Garcia had entered the United States illegally in 2011 and was offered deportation to Costa Rica if he cooperated in transporting other undocumented immigrants following a traffic incident in Tennessee in 2022.
Sandoval-Moshenberg criticized the situation, calling it a manipulation of the immigration system in an unconstitutional manner.
This is a developing story, and more details will follow.
