Back home in Maryland, Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces deportation
BALTIMORE—Kilmar Abrego Garcia was expected on Monday to report to US immigration officials in Maryland as the Trump administration says it intends to deport the El Salvadoran national whose arrest and fight to stay in the country have become a flashpoint in the president’s immigration crackdown.
The scheduled check-in at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore comes just days after the 30-year-old immigrant was released from a jail in Tennessee, where he had been detained since June after being brought back to the United States following his mistaken deportation to El Salvador.
Immigration officials have said they plan to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, which recently agreed to a deal to accept certain deportees from the United States, after he declined an offer to be removed to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges.
Take it or take off
According to his defense attorneys, the government has given Abrego Garcia until first thing Monday to accept the plea deal and deportation to Costa Rica, or “that offer will be off the table forever.”
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have declined to say if he’s still considering the deal.
On Friday, Abrego Garcia returned to his family in Maryland. Video released by advocates of the reunion showed a room decorated with streamers, flowers and signs. He embraced loved ones and thanked them “for everything.”
Filings in federal court show the Costa Rican government saying Abrego Garcia would be welcomed as a legal immigrant and wouldn’t face detention.
In a statement, Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said the criminal charges underscore how Abrego Garcia presents a “clear danger” and that he can either plead guilty or stand trial.
“Either way, we will hold Abrego Garcia accountable and protect the American people,” Gilmartin said.
Flash point
Abrego Garcia’s case became a flash point in President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, despite a judge’s earlier determination that he faced a “well-founded fear” of violence there. Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the United States in June, only to detain him on human smuggling charges.
He pleaded not guilty and asked the judge to dismiss the case, claiming that it is an attempt to punish him for challenging his deportation to El Salvador. The Saturday filing came as a supplement to that motion to dismiss, stating that the threat to deport him to Uganda is more proof that the prosecution is vindictive.
The smuggling charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee for speeding. There were nine passengers in the car, and officers discussed among themselves their suspicions of smuggling. Abrego Garcia was allowed to continue driving with only a warning.
