A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States by Monday, April 7, following his wrongful deportation to El Salvador’s CECOT “mega prison,” home to 10,000 to 20,000 thousand of the country’s most violent criminals. Judge Paula Xinis labeled the deportation as “unlawful,” emphasizing that Abrego Garcia had legal protection against removal due to a 2019 court order.
A Maryland resident, Abrego Garcia was granted protection from deportation in 2019 because of the risk of gang persecution or torture in El Salvador. Despite this protection, he was deported on March 15, 2025, due to what Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) described as an “administrative error.”
The Trump administration alleges Abrego Garcia has ties to MS-13, a gang officially designated as a terrorist organization under current policy. But Abrego Garcia denies any gang affiliation, and in her ruling, Judge Xinis stated that the government had failed to present concrete evidence linking him to the gang.
More importantly, she emphasized that federal law clearly prohibited his deportation, regardless of the allegations—making the March 15 removal both unlawful and in violation of a standing court order.
“This was an illegal act,” Judge Paula Xinis declared, according to The Washington Times, issuing a sharp rebuke to the administration. She gave the federal government until 11:59 p.m. Monday to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States:
Erez Reuveni, a Justice Department lawyer, admitted the government got it wrong.
“Mr. Abrego-Garcia should not have been removed. That is not in dispute,” he said.
That presents a challenge to President Trump, whose spokeswoman has defended the deportation.
“Foreign terrorists do not have legal protections in the United States of America anymore and it is within the president’s executive authority and power to deport these heinous individuals from American communities,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday.
Abrego García had been granted “withholding of removal” status in 2019, which provided legal protection against deportation because of the threats he faced from gangs in El Salvador. He had established a life in Maryland with his U.S. citizen wife and their disabled child.
Though the deportation occurred due to what the Trump administration has acknowledged as an administrative error, officials, including Vice President J. Vance, have labeled Abrego Garcia a gang leader without legal rights to remain in the U.S.
Despite acknowledging the mistake, the administration has stated that it cannot facilitate his return, arguing that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction over individuals once they are in foreign custody. This position has been met with significant legal and political debate.
The ongoing case highlights tensions between judicial authority and immigration enforcement, especially concerning adherence to court orders.
Advocates continue to raise red flags over Abrego Garcia’s safety, stressing that he remains jailed in a prison reportedly plagued by human rights abuses.
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WE’LL BRING HIM BACK IF THE JUDGE CAN BRING BACK LAKEN RILEY, ALIVE!!!
this fed judge should be fired and sent to gitmo. he wants to bring back a terrorist to our country and all the ones that were removed from the usa. how dare he even think this is ok. we want these terrorists out for good and we have millions more to be removed. THESE POS JUDGES, CONGRESS, MAYORS, GOVERNORS,AND UNELECTED JUDGES SHOULD BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY. THEY DON’T BELONG IN OUR COUNTRY ANYMORE.