The federal government has decided to send Kilmer Abrego Garcia to Uganda after turning down a plea agreement.
On Thursday, prosecutors offered Abrego Garcia the chance to “live freely” in a refugee settlement in Costa Rica, following his prison sentence for human smuggling charges, as noted in a Saturday application.
He had previously been mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador and declined an offer to return to his family in Maryland on Friday. He was held in a prison in Tennessee at the time.
Later that same day, after his return to Maryland, his attorneys were informed they needed to report to the Baltimore ICE office on Monday. They also learned that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was planning to deport him to Uganda.
Uganda recently signed an agreement with the Trump administration to accept deportees, but critics are wary due to the country’s human rights record.
According to Abrego Garcia’s defense team, “The only developments from Thursday to Friday were merely the exercise of his legal rights under the Bail Reform Act and the Fifth Amendment…”
They argued that the DOJ, DHS, and ICE are exerting collective pressure on Abrego to choose between a relative safety in Costa Rica or facing potential danger in Uganda.
This was not the first time Abrego Garcia faced deportation due to “administrative errors,” having been sent to a MegaPrison in El Salvador before returning to his homeland in 2019.
The Trump administration had previously considered moving Abrego Garcia to a third country.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem criticized the federal actions, labeling the release of a Salvadoran national as a “new low.” She described Abrego Garcia as an illegal alien with ties to MS-13, among other serious offenses.
Abrego Garcia’s legal team has not commented further, and DHS has not yet responded to inquiries.
