ICE arrests Kilmar Abrego Garcia in Baltimore; faces possible deportation to Uganda after prior El Salvador deportation. Photo/X.
Abrego Garcia Arrest: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Monday morning shortly after he arrived for a scheduled check-in at the agency’s field office in Baltimore, Maryland, his lawyer confirmed, according to reports. Abrego Garcia has been at the center of a high-profile legal battle for months, following his deportation by the Trump administration to El Salvador in apparent violation of a 2019 court order. He now faces the possibility of a second deportation, this time to Uganda.
Earlier Monday, immigration advocates, faith leaders, and community members gathered outside the Baltimore field office at sunrise for a vigil organized by two immigration advocacy groups.
Abrego Garcia had been returned to the US months after being deported to El Salvador, following directives from a federal judge and the Supreme Court.
Upon his return, Abrego Garcia was arrested on human smuggling charges linked to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. He remained in federal detention until Friday, when he was released under court order to return to Maryland. A judge ruled he could remain under electronic surveillance and ICE supervision while awaiting trial.
ICE officials informed Abrego Garcia’s attorneys shortly after his release that they intended to deport him to Uganda, an East African nation that recently reached an agreement with the US to accept migrants deported by the Trump administration.
The notice, issued by ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Adviser, stated it was “intended to serve as notice that DHS may remove your client, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to Uganda no earlier than 72 hours from now (absent weekends).”
Trump administration border czar Tom Homan told Fox News Sunday night that Abrego-Garcia was “absolutely” going to be deported and that Uganda was “on the table” as a third country of removal.
“We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely,” Homan said during an interview on *The Big Weekend Show*. “He is absolutely going to be deported,” he reiterated.
Court records state that Abrego Garcia fled El Salvador at age 16 to escape extortion and threats from the Barrio 18 street gang, which targeted his family. He arrived in Maryland in 2011, where his brother resides as a US citizen, though he was not authorized to stay.
Must Read: Kilmar Abrego Was Wrongfully Deported Once, Now US Wants To Send Him Somewhere Even More Dangerous
Abrego Garcia found work in construction and later met Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who became his wife. In 2018, he moved in with her and her two children after she became pregnant with his child.
In March 2019, while seeking work at a Home Depot, police arrested Abrego Garcia and accused him of being a member of the transnational street gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).
According to court documents, authorities based their allegations on three pieces of evidence – a Chicago Bulls hat, a hoodie, and an unnamed informant claiming Abrego Garcia was part of the gang’s New York clique – a location he has never lived in.
Abrego-Garcia, through his attorneys, denied any affiliation with MS-13 and has no criminal record in the US or El Salvador.
A judge subsequently granted him protection from deportation to El Salvador, citing the danger he could face from Barrio 18 death threats.
While released under federal supervision, Abrego-Garcia held a work permit and reported to ICE annually, according to his lawyers.
On March 12, federal agents stopped Abrego-Garcia, accusing him of MS-13 ties and inaccurately claiming his protected status had changed. Three days later, he was deported to CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Latin America’s largest prison holding up to 40,000 inmates.
This action followed Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The deportation came a month after the administration designated MS-13 a foreign terrorist organization. The gang, which originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s, largely comprises Salvadoran immigrants fleeing a civil war.
Abrego Garcia later claimed he suffered physical and psychological abuse in El Salvador’s prison, allegations denied by President Nayib Bukele.
In June, a US magistrate ruled Abrego Garcia could be released while awaiting trial. At his attorneys’ request, he remained in a Tennessee jail for approximately 11 weeks to avoid potential immediate deportation by ICE.
The following month, ICE Assistant Director Thomas Giles testified that Abrego Garcia would be detained upon release. However, a US district judge blocked this, citing due process concerns.
Minutes after his release from Tennessee custody last Friday, ICE notified Abrego Garcia he could be deported to Uganda, a country with which he has no known ties, according to his attorneys.
Also Read: Kilmar Abrego Garcia Detained by ICE After Voluntary Surrender in Baltimore
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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