Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after reporting to the agency’s Baltimore office, raising fears of a second deportation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed his detention, stating that ICE is “processing him for deportation.”
Abrego Garcia, originally from El Salvador, was mistakenly deported there in March and placed in the country’s notorious Cecot prison before being returned to the US. He now faces criminal charges but has pleaded not guilty.
According to his attorneys, US authorities have warned that he could be sent to Uganda after rejecting a plea deal. His legal team argues that this is an attempt to pressure him into pleading guilty.
“The only reason they’ve chosen to detain him is to punish him for exercising his constitutional rights,” lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told reporters outside the Baltimore ICE office.
Abrego Garcia has filed a new federal lawsuit in Maryland challenging his detention and any deportation “to Uganda or any other country” before his trial. A judge has temporarily blocked his removal from the US until at least Wednesday afternoon.
The case has been assigned to US District Judge Paula Xinis, who previously handled the lawsuit over his mistaken deportation to El Salvador.
Supporters rallied outside the ICE office during his arrest, demanding his release. They point out that he was already under ankle monitoring, making detention unnecessary.
In a statement, Secretary Noem accused Abrego Garcia of human trafficking and domestic abuse, while President Donald Trump vowed he would not be allowed to “terrorise American citizens any longer.”
The US has deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda under Trump-era policies. However, documents obtained by CBS News show Uganda’s government prefers to accept individuals from African countries.
Abrego Garcia’s case has drawn global attention since his erroneous deportation in March. Following his return, he was sent to Tennessee, charged in a human smuggling case, and later released under court order last week before being detained again on Monday. Photo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Department of Homeland Security), Wikimedia commons.
