Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in the US to face federal charges
The Maryland man who was mistakenly deported is accused of making more than 100 trips to move illegal immigrants across the country.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran immigrant whose mistaken deportation to a prison for terrorists earlier this year made him a flash point for the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies, was ordered freed by a federal judge.
Abrego Garcia, a resident of Beltsville, Maryland, was among hundreds of alleged members of crime gangs MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua the government expelled to El Salvador on March 15.
“Respondents SHALL release Abrego Garcia from ICE custody immediately,” the two-page document filed on Wednesday, Dec. 11, in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland reads.
Abrego was returned to the United States in June but was later re-arrested by immigration authorities.
He was first deported in an administrative error, despite an earlier order barring deportation. Top Trump administration officials allege he is a member of the MS-13 gang, which Abrego Garcia denies.
This is a developing story.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund
