A federal judge in Maryland ruled that the deportation of Salvadoran Kilmer Armado Abrego García by the Donald Trump administration was illegal and ordered his return to the United States before midnight on Monday.
The 29-year-old, a resident of Prince George’s County, Maryland, was expelled from the country on March 15 as part of a controversial mass deportation operation that included over 200 Venezuelans and dozens of Salvadorans.
Abrego was sent directly to the Center for Terrorism Confinement, his home country’s maximum-security prison.
Judge Paula Xinis determined that the expulsion was carried out despite a court order protecting him, reported the Efe news agency. According to the lawsuit filed by his attorneys, Abrego had an active deportation stay after applying for asylum.
His return to El Salvador—where his life would be in danger—violated established legal process.
“It was an illegal act,” the judge stated, rejecting the argument that authorities acted in “good faith” when carrying out his transfer.
An ICE official acknowledged in court that the deportation was a “mistake,” but claimed they could no longer bring him back. The judge, however, contradicted this claim and ordered his immediate repatriation.
Authorities identified the man in 2019, after an informant allegedly linked him to MS-13. Though his deportation was initially approved, he later obtained a stay from an immigration judge while his asylum application was being reviewed.
The expulsion occurred after his arrest on March 12 in Texas, where he was taken before boarding one of three planes that transported migrants to El Salvador. His inclusion in the operation has been flagged as a violation of his legal rights.
His family and activists from the CASA organization held a protest to raise awareness about the risks Abrego faces.
His wife, Jennifer Vásquez, a U.S. citizen, described the impact of the separation: “Kilmer is an exemplary father. Since his absence, I feel lost. Two of our children have autism, and the other suffers from epilepsy. This unjust separation has devastated our family.”
Abrego’s case calls into question the legality of other recent deportations under the Trump administration’s new deportation guidelines, particularly in cases where ongoing legal proceedings or asylum applications are involved.
Image: DiarioNY
