Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation to El Salvador has become a rallying point against US President Donald Trump’s hardline policies.
Published December 11, 2025
A U.S. judge has ordered the release of Kilmer Abrego Garcia from immigration detention.
The ruling handed down Thursday by U.S. District Judge Paula Kishinis is the latest ruling in the case of Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador by President Donald Trump’s administration in March.
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The Maryland resident has since been returned to the United States, but the Trump administration continues to seek his deportation to another country.
“Since Mr. Abrego García returned from illegal detention in El Salvador, he has once again been remanded without legal authority,” Kunis wrote in the ruling. “Therefore, the court will grant Abrego-Garcia’s petition for immediate release from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) custody.”
Abrego Garcia came to the United States without documents as a teenager and has lived in Maryland with his wife and children for many years.
In 2019, an immigration judge ruled that Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador because he was at risk from gangs targeting his family.
The Trump administration’s violation of the order became a rallying point for critics of the president’s mass deportation campaign.
Since then, authorities have sought to deport Mr. Abrego-Garcia to a series of African countries.
The Maryland resident, who received attention for his wrongful deportation, filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that the Trump administration is illegally using the deportation process to punish him.
Since his return, federal authorities have also charged Abrego-Garcia with human smuggling in connection with the 2022 traffic stop.
He has maintained his innocence, and the prosecution has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, stating that he is guilty.
