Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year, has been taken into custody by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials after voluntarily turning himself in at a Baltimore facility, CNN reported on Monday. Abrego Garcia’s attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, told the American media network earlier that he expected this outcome.
“Regardless of what happens today in my ICE check-in, promise me this…,” Abrego Garcia had said at a rally before surrendering. “Promise me that you will continue to pray, continue to fight, resist and love, not just for me, but for everybody.”
Facing Deportation, Again
President Donald Trump‘s administration had over the weekend indicated that Abrego Garcia could be deported to Uganda as early as this week. He had just returned home from Tennessee, where he was being held pending trial in a federal human smuggling case.
A Department of Homeland Security official had notified his lawyers on Friday that deportation to Uganda was on the table, the report said. The notice came just minutes after he was released from criminal custody, ahead of a trial scheduled for January.
Activists Say It‘s Retaliation
Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, CASA‘s chief of organising and leadership, had said at the rally, “They‘re throwing the entire federal apparatus at one father of three to prove that no one should dare challenge their authority.“
Walther-Rodriguez further said that Abrego Garcia is being made “a martyr for having the courage to stand up to this administration‘s illegal deportation practices.“
No Clear Protection from Further Deportation
Under a Maryland federal judge‘s order, Abrego Garcia is slated to remain under the federal agency’s supervision, allowed to live and work in the state while checking in with officials, per CNN. However, the judge has not blocked deportation to a third country, as long as due process rights are not violated.
His lawyers argued over the weekend that the Trump administration‘s offer to deport him to Costa Rica in exchange for a guilty plea was retaliation for his legal challenge.
Meanwhile, Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador earlier this year, spoke with him again Sunday. “We will stay in this fight for justice and due process,” CNN quoted him as saying. “If his rights are denied, the rights of everyone else are at risk.“
Before walking into the ICE office, Abrego Garcia recalled: “When I was detained, I remembered memories with my family: going to the park with them, going to the trampoline with my children. Those moments will continue to give me hope to continue in this fight.“
ALSO READ: Kilmar Abrego Was Wrongfully Deported Once, Now US Wants To Send Him Somewhere Even More Dangerous
