Immigration authorities are planning to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda after he rejected a proposed deportation to Costa Rica. This offer was linked to his agreement to stay in jail and plead guilty to human smuggling charges, as detailed in a court document filed on Saturday.
The proposal for Costa Rica was put forth late Thursday, with the understanding that the Salvadoran national might be released from a Tennessee jail imminently. Choosing not to prolong his incarceration, Abrego Garcia was released on Friday to join his family while awaiting trial in Maryland. However, later that day, the Department of Homeland Security informed his legal team of plans to deport him to Uganda, instructing him to report to immigration officials on Monday.
Abrego Garcia’s situation became significant within President Donald Trump’s immigration policy after he was wrongfully deported in March. Following a court mandate, the administration returned him to the U.S. in June, where he was then held on human smuggling allegations.
He disputes the charges and has requested the dismissal of the case, arguing that it serves as retaliation for his contestation of deportation to El Salvador. The Saturday filing supplemented this dismissal request, arguing that the threat of deportation to Uganda further demonstrates a vengeful prosecution.
“The government’s reaction to Mr. Abrego’s release was one of immediate indignation,” the filing states. “Though assurances from Costa Rica to accept Mr. Abrego had been obtained, merely moments after his release from pretrial detention, an ICE official notified Mr. Abrego’s counsel that the government planned to deport him to Uganda, instructing him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office on Monday morning.”
Even though Abrego Garcia qualified for pretrial release, his lawyers opted for his continued detention, fearing the Republican-led administration might swiftly deport him once more. These concerns were partly mitigated by a recent decision in a different Maryland case, mandating that immigration authorities grant Abrego Garcia adequate time to prepare a defense.
