Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose immigration case has drawn international attention, was taken into custody Monday after reporting to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Baltimore.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the arrest, saying ICE is now “processing him for deportation.” His legal team claims the move is retaliation after Abrego Garcia declined a plea deal in a human smuggling case.
The 39-year-old Salvadoran was mistakenly deported in March to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot prison before being returned to the US to face criminal charges. Now, his attorneys say he is being threatened with deportation to Uganda — a country where he has no known ties.
Legal battle over detention
Attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told reporters that ICE offered no explanation for the sudden detention, despite Abrego Garcia already being under ankle monitoring and “basically on house arrest.” He has since filed a new federal lawsuit in Maryland challenging his detention and the possibility of deportation “to Uganda or any other country” before his trial.
A federal court has temporarily barred the government from removing him from the continental US or changing his legal status until at least 4 p.m. Wednesday, pending a ruling by US District Judge Paula Xinis, who previously handled his mistaken deportation case.
Political backdrop
Abrego Garcia had rejected an earlier offer to plead guilty in exchange for deportation to Costa Rica. His supporters rallied outside the ICE office Monday, denouncing what they described as a coercive attempt to pressure him into a guilty plea.
In a statement, Secretary Noem alleged Abrego Garcia was guilty of human trafficking and domestic abuse, adding that President Donald Trump would not allow him to “terrorize American citizens any longer.”
The Trump administration previously signed bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda as part of its immigration crackdown. Internal documents obtained by CBS News suggest Uganda prefers deportees from African nations, raising questions about why Abrego Garcia would be sent there.
Background
Since March, his case has played out in the spotlight. After the mistaken deportation, US officials admitted to an “administrative error,” and a judge ordered Abrego Garcia returned. He was sent to Tennessee to face human smuggling charges, released on Friday, then ordered to check in with ICE in Baltimore — where he was taken back into custody.
Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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