Trump Administration Seeks Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia

The Trump administration has petitioned a federal judge in Maryland to authorize the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, asserting that all legal avenues to contest his removal have been exhausted.

Abrego Garcia's case has been central to the national discourse on immigration policies. In March, he was deported to El Salvador, contravening a federal judge's order that prohibited his removal to his native country. After months of detention in El Salvador, including time spent in the CECOT prison, he was returned to the U.S. in June and subsequently faced federal charges of human smuggling, which he denies.

The Justice Department's recent motion contends that an asylum officer interviewed Abrego Garcia on October 28 and determined he failed to demonstrate a likelihood of persecution or torture in Liberia. The government argues that this assessment satisfies due process requirements and seeks to dissolve the preliminary injunction preventing his deportation.

In support of their position, the administration presented declarations from senior U.S. officials stating that Liberia has provided credible assurances that Abrego Garcia will not be harmed or transferred to another nation where he might face persecution. Liberia's government has agreed to receive him on a "strictly humanitarian and temporary basis" following a U.S. request.

Conversely, Abrego Garcia's attorneys argue that the asylum officer's interview does not constitute sufficient due process. They claim the government's efforts to deport him to Africa, rather than to Costa Rica—which has offered him refugee status—are retaliatory. The legal team has requested that the court prohibit his deportation to Liberia until an immigration judge reviews the asylum officer's determination, emphasizing concerns that he could be returned to El Salvador after being sent to Liberia.

Abrego Garcia entered the U.S. in 2011 at age 16. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him "withholding of removal," preventing his deportation to El Salvador due to potential gang threats. Despite this, he was deported in March as part of a broader effort targeting individuals accused of gang affiliations. The administration later acknowledged the deportation was a mistake but maintained his detention in El Salvador for several months.