Federal Judge to Hear Challenge to Cruel Deportation Scheme Targeting Salvadoran Man
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A federal court in Maryland will weigh a plea from Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s legal team to halt his forced removal to Liberia, after the government’s relentless attempts to expel him to various countries were rebuffed.
On Tuesday, a Maryland federal judge will hear arguments from the lawyers of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who are fighting to stop the government’s latest attempt to deport him—this time to Liberia. Garcia, a Salvadoran national, was previously subjected to a dangerous and reckless deportation to El Salvador in March 2025, despite a 2019 court order that recognized the life-threatening risks he faced from gangs. After enduring this ordeal, Garcia was able to reunite with his family in Maryland in June 2025, only to face human-smuggling charges—an accusation that activists argue is often used to criminalize migrants seeking safety.
The Trump administration, continuing its inhumane and punitive immigration policies, has filed a motion asking Judge Paula Xinis to lift the order that currently protects Garcia from removal. They claim Liberia is prepared to accept him and that ICE could forcibly send him there within days. This administration has already begun the deeply troubling practice of sending Latin American deportees to Liberia, a country with which many have no connection, since August.
Garcia, seeking dignity and safety, has asked to be sent to Costa Rica, a country that has shown willingness to consider his refugee claim. Yet, the Justice Department has made no effort to pursue this humane alternative, instead choosing to weaponize immigration laws against him. His attorneys have rightly argued that the government is abusing its authority to punish Garcia for standing up to his previous illegal removal.
"Just as the Government unlawfully wielded its criminal powers against Abrego Garcia, so it seeks to unlawfully exploit its immigration powers against him," the lawyers wrote in a May motion.
This hearing comes after a Tennessee judge courageously dismissed the criminal indictment against Garcia, recognizing the prosecution as vindictive—a decision the Justice Department is now appealing. The administration’s attempts to deport Garcia to Uganda, Eswatini, and Ghana have also failed, as those nations refused to participate in this unjust process. For now, Garcia remains out of ICE custody, but his future hangs in the balance as the government continues its relentless campaign against him.