Judge to weigh effort to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia

Washington — The destiny of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran antheral wrongfully deported by the Trump medication past year, volition again beryllium argued successful tribunal connected Tuesday erstwhile his ineligible squad asks a national justice to artifact his deportation to Liberia, the latest state wherever the medication has attempted to nonstop him successful his ongoing ineligible saga. 

Abrego Garcia, who had been surviving successful Maryland with his family, was mistakenly deported to El Salvador successful March 2025, contempt a judge's 2019 bid that blocked his deportation to the state connected the grounds that helium could beryllium harmed by section gangs. The Trump medication had said Abrego Garcia was a subordinate of the pack MS-13, which helium has denied.

He was initially held astatine the Salvadoran mega-prison CECOT and was yet returned to the U.S. successful June 2025 to look transgression quality smuggling charges.

In March, the Trump medication said that it was acceptable to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia, and asked U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis successful Maryland to dissolve her bid that is presently blocking that, oregon immoderate different removal of Abrego Garcia, from happening. 

In tribunal filings, the Trump medication said that Liberia's authorities was consenting to judge Abrego Garcia and that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could put a charter level to nonstop him to the West African state successful a substance of days.

Liberia is among the countries that person agreed to judge non-native immigrants from the U.S., and the Trump medication began sending deportees from Latin America determination successful August. CBS News traveled to Liberia past period and interviewed a fig of them. They described being successful limbo and feeling stateless. They are incapable to instrumentality to the U.S., wherever galore person spouses and children, and said they are frightened of being persecuted if they spell backmost to their homelands. 

Abrego Garcia has said helium is consenting to spell to Costa Rica and designated the state arsenic his preferred state of removal, and Costa Rica has indicated it would supply him exile presumption oregon residency. But astatine a proceeding past year, a Justice Department lawyer said determination had not been discussions astir deporting him there. 

Tuesday's proceeding is besides the archetypal since a national justice successful Tennessee tossed retired the transgression indictment charging Abrego Garcia with the alleged crimes, uncovering that the Justice Department's prosecution of him was vindictive. The authorities appealed that order successful August.

In tribunal filings up of Tuesday's hearing, Abrego Garcia's lawyers said that the Trump medication is "trying to maltreatment its migration powers to punish" him due to the fact that their lawsuit had the "audacity" to situation his removal to El Salvador.

"Just arsenic the Government unlawfully wielded its transgression powers against Abrego Garcia, truthful it seeks to unlawfully exploit its migration powers against him," they wrote successful a question for relief successful May. "The grounds leaves nary enigma astir what is going on. If the Government genuinely wanted to region Abrego Garcia from the United States, it would person sent him to Costa Rica successful August 2025 erstwhile helium designated it [as his state of removal]."

The Trump medication has besides attempted to re-deport Abrego Garcia to the African nations of Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana, but nary of the countries agreed to judge him. 

The Justice Department said successful court filings that Xinis should contradict Abrego Garcia's motions due to the fact that "his claims neglect arsenic a substance of law." 

Abrego Garcia has remained escaped from ICE custody arsenic his lawsuit has proceeded.