Kilmar Abrego Garcia Released, Reunites with Family in Maryland After Wrongful Deportation
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongfully deported to El Salvador and accused of MS-13 membership, has been released from federal custody in Tennessee, reuniting with his family in Maryland.
Feds Say They Will Send Abrego Garcia To Uganda
Daily Caller
Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from custody, en route to Maryland
Washington Examiner
Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed from Tennessee jail while awaiting trial
New York Daily News
Overview
- Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident for over a decade, was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison in March, despite having an American family.
- He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face trial, accused of MS-13 membership, an allegation his legal team vehemently disputes.
- U.S. Magistrate Barbara Holmes ruled for Abrego Garcia's release from federal custody in Tennessee, where he was awaiting his upcoming trial proceedings.
- U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis further ordered the U.S. government to reinstate Abrego Garcia to his ICE Order of Supervision in Maryland.
- Abrego Garcia has now been released from the Tennessee jail and successfully reunited with his family in Maryland, where he awaits his trial.
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Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame this story by portraying the Trump administration's actions as vindictive and coercive. They emphasize the administration's "wrongful" deportation and subsequent "last-ditch efforts" to prevent release or force a plea, highlighting the perceived injustice and potential threats to Abrego Garcia's safety and liberty through selective language and emphasis.
"The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat."
BBC News"There can be only one interpretation of these events: the DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat."
ABC News"Abrego Garcia is being coerced into accepting a guilty plea by the prospect of being indefinitely detained in a country halfway across the world, where his safety and liberty would be at threat."
USA TODAY"The threat to deport him to Uganda is more proof that the prosecution is vindictive."
NPR"It is preposterous that they would send him to Africa, to a country where he doesn’t even speak the language, a country with documented human rights violations, when there are so many other options."
NBC News"The Trump administration may try to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official and a notice sent by government officials obtained by CBS News."
CBS News"For the first time since March, our client Kilmar Abrego Garcia is reunited with his loving family."
CBS News"Kilmar Ábrego García is free and plans to return to his family in Maryland after being mistakenly deported from the United States."
BBC News"Abrego Garcia's case raised basic questions about due process under president Trump's ongoing crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally after he was arrested and sent to El Salvador's CECOT prison in March of this year, violating a U.S. immigration judge's 2019 order that Abrego Garcia had a "well-founded fear" of gang persecution there."
NPR"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, is now set to return to his wife and children as his deportation case continues in a winding court battle that spans multiple states and countries – even coming before the U.S. Supreme Court."
USA TODAY"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was wrongfully deported to an El Salvador prison and accused of being a member of the gang MS-13, was released from federal custody on Friday afternoon after a judge's 30-day pause on his release expired."
NBC News"Kilmar Abrego Garcia was released from jail in Tennessee on Friday so he can rejoin his family in Maryland while awaiting trial on human smuggling charges."
Associated Press"Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported in March before being brought back to the U.S., has been released from criminal custody in Tennessee and is on his way to Maryland, an attorney for Abrego Garcia told ABC News."
ABC NewsArticles (41)
FAQ
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported despite having withholding of removal status granted in 2019 due to danger from gang violence in El Salvador. The Trump administration deported him in March 2025 accusing him of MS-13 membership based on a 2019 bail proceeding determination, which he disputed. The deportation was called "an administrative error" by the U.S. government.
After being deported to El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was imprisoned without trial in the Salvadoran Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a mega-prison, despite never being charged or convicted of a crime. This was part of an agreement under which the U.S. sent deportees to be jailed there for money.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. in June 2025 to face trial on human smuggling charges, which he and his legal team dispute. He was held in federal custody in Tennessee but was released by order of U.S. Magistrate Barbara Holmes and U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who also ordered his reinstatement under an ICE Order of Supervision in Maryland, blocking any further deportation upon release.
Upon release, Kilmar Abrego Garcia expressed gratitude, stating it was a special day seeing his family for the first time in over 160 days. He thanked supporters and said he is grateful to God for his release, acknowledging that while they are closer to justice, it has not been fully served yet.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia's trial on human smuggling charges is set to begin on January 27, 2027. His legal team vehemently disputes the allegations of MS-13 membership tied to the charges.
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