Washington — Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s legal saga took yet another turn this week, as U.S. immigration officials moved to deport him to Uganda — just days after he walked free from pretrial detention.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Abrego Garcia into custody and is “processing him for removal to Uganda.” The move comes after a complicated chain of events that has drawn national attention.
Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, was mistakenly deported to his home country in March, where he spent months in a notorious Salvadoran prison. He was returned to the U.S. in June and jailed on federal human smuggling charges, but a judge ordered his release ahead of a January trial.
Last Friday, he was freed under electronic monitoring — essentially on house arrest. But by Monday morning, he was back at an ICE facility in Virginia, greeted by supporters as he arrived for what was supposed to be a routine check‑in.
“There was no need for them to take him into ICE detention,” his attorney Simon Sandoval‑Moshenberg said. “The only reason they’ve chosen to detain him is to punish him for exercising his constitutional rights.”
That same day, Sandoval‑Moshenberg filed a lawsuit to block his confinement and any deportation until he receives a fair hearing in immigration court. A federal judge in Maryland quickly issued an order halting his removal and barring changes to his legal status — part of a broader court policy that the Justice Department is currently challenging. Judge Paula Xinis also issued an oral order preventing any transfer from the Virginia ICE facility.
The Department of Homeland Security alleges Abrego Garcia is an MS‑13 gang member — a claim his family strongly denies.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the U.S. recently struck a deal with Uganda to accept deportees, adding:
“President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS‑13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer.”
Court filings over the weekend revealed Abrego Garcia was previously offered a plea deal that included deportation to Costa Rica. His lawyer says the sudden mention of Uganda is a pressure tactic.
“They’re holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick,” Sandoval‑Moshenberg argued. “It’s clear evidence they’re weaponizing the immigration system in a way that’s unconstitutional.”
Several political leaders have weighed in. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who earlier traveled to El Salvador to push for Abrego Garcia’s return, met with him Sunday and called the latest deportation push a “malicious abuse of power.” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore emphasized that only the courts — not the president or DHS — should decide the case’s fate.
An immigration judge previously ruled in 2019 that Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador due to threats from local gangs.
For now, his deportation is on hold — but the legal and political fight is far from over.
