Currently, migrants from El Salvador, who are alleged members of MS-13, face deportation threats that could send them to dangerous prisons abroad. For the moment, they remain in the US.
Kilmer Abrego Garcia expressed his emotional distress in a press conference held in Spanish on Monday, just before checking in with Immigration Customs in Baltimore. He had recently been released from a jail in Tennessee but was notified by the Trump administration about possible deportation.
There are claims against Garcia, indicating he was involved in transporting individuals in the US illegally, which he denies.
After being taken into custody again, U.S. District Judge Paula Sinis instructed that the administration could not proceed with his deportation until a hearing could be held. “At this moment, your client cannot be removed from America,” she firmly told the government lawyers. “Do we understand that?”
“Yes, your honor,” replied Drew Ensign, a lawyer from the Justice Department, acknowledging the ruling.
Garcia’s attorneys mentioned that the government proposed a deal: plead guilty to two counts of smuggling and be sent to Costa Rica instead of Uganda, should he refuse the offer.
The process for removing individuals to other countries takes significant time, and Judge Sinis noted that Garcia’s deportation is “not imminent.”
Garcia referred to his reunion with his family as miraculous. “I am deeply grateful to God and the community,” he shared through translation. “Thanks to everyone who marched and spoke up; I won’t stop praying and will continue to fight for my name.”
The Trump administration has made it clear they intend to prevent Garcia from living freely in the US. “Kilmer Abrego Garcia is a dangerous illegal foreigner. We’ve maintained this stance consistently, and he will not be free on American soil,” they stated.
Judge Sinis was appointed by former President Barack Obama.
