Latest news with #KilmarAbrego
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Wrongly deported migrant Abrego scores legal wins, but remains behind bars
WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - Kilmar Abrego, the migrant whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador made him a symbol of President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration policies, won two key victories in U.S. courts on Wednesday but will remain behind bars on human smuggling charges for now. In dual rebukes to the Trump administration after Abrego was brought back to the U.S. to face the charges, one federal judge ruled that he must be released on bail, and another ruled that authorities must give his lawyers three days' notice before they try to deport him again to a different country. 'These rulings are a powerful rebuke of the government's lawless conduct and a critical safeguard for Kilmar's due process rights," Abrego's lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said in a statement. Still, Abrego will remain in criminal custody in Tennessee for at least 30 days. His lawyers, while pushing for his release on bail, had asked that any such order be delayed given the risk that immigration authorities could swiftly detain and deport him upon his exit from jail. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement accused Abrego of being a member of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 and said he "will never walk America's streets again." Abrego denies being part of the gang. Abrego, 29, a Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland, was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador in March despite a 2019 judicial ruling that he could not be sent there because of a risk of gang persecution. That prompted Trump's critics to argue that his administration was infringing on legal rights as it moved aggressively to deport millions of migrants living illegally in the U.S. Abrego then challenged that deportation in a civil lawsuit before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Greenbelt, Maryland. The U.S. Supreme Court in April upheld Xinis' order that the administration facilitate Abrego's return. In June, U.S. officials brought Abrego back to the U.S. after securing an indictment accusing him of transporting migrants in the U.S. illegally as part of a smuggling ring. Abrego has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been held in criminal custody in Tennessee since his return. His lawyers have accused the Trump administration of bringing the charges to cover up violations of his rights. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville, Tennessee last month granted Abrego's request to be released ahead of his trial. But Abrego's lawyers later asked Holmes not to release Abrego right away, citing the risk he would be detained and deported to a country other than El Salvador. Federal prosecutors challenged Holmes' ruling. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw rejected that challenge, writing that prosecutors had not shown sufficient evidence that Abrego posed a public safety threat or was a flight risk to justify his continued detention ahead of trial. But he said the government was entitled to another hearing over whether to detain Abrego due to their allegation that he sometimes transported children. After Crenshaw's order on Wednesday, Holmes said she would delay her order for release by at least 30 days. In a simultaneous decision on Wednesday, Xinis ruled that if Abrego is released from criminal custody, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not detain him in Tennessee. She also ruled that his immigration case must be returned to Maryland, and that he must be notified at least three days before any deportation to a third country. On Xinis' ruling, McLaughlin said, "The fact this unhinged judge is trying to tell ICE they can't arrest someone who is subject to immigration arrest under federal law is insane." Xinis' order did not bar immigration authorities in Maryland from taking him into custody.
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Migrant Abrego wins release from US jail as he faces smuggling charges
WASHINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) - Kilmar Abrego, the migrant who was wrongly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and brought back to the U.S. to face criminal charges, on Wednesday won release from jail and a temporary block on any effort to deport him again. U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw in Nashville upheld a magistrate judge's ruling that prosecutors had not shown sufficient evidence that Abrego posed a public safety threat or was a flight risk to justify his continued detention ahead of trial on human smuggling charges. President Donald Trump's administration had previously said if Abrego is freed from criminal custody, he will immediately be taken into immigration detention and face a second deportation to a country other than El Salvador. In a simultaneous ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Greenbelt, Maryland, who is overseeing a civil lawsuit brought by Abrego, put a three-day pause on any further attempt by the Trump administration to deport Abrego to give his lawyers the chance to contest his removal. Neither the Justice Department nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to requests for comment. Abrego, 29, a Salvadoran migrant who had been living in Maryland, was deported and imprisoned in El Salvador in March despite a 2019 judicial ruling that he could not be sent there because of a risk of gang persecution. Abrego's case has drawn widespread attention as the Trump administration moves aggressively to deport millions living illegally in the U.S., prompting criticism that the government is infringing on legal rights. The Trump administration brought Abrego back to the U.S. in June after securing an indictment accusing him of taking part in a smuggling ring as part of the MS-13 gang to transport migrants living in the country illegally. Abrego has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the Trump administration of bringing the charges to cover up violations of his rights. He has denied any gang ties. Federal prosecutors sought to convince two different judges to order Abrego be detained while awaiting a trial. They alleged that Abrego used children as cover during smuggling trips, faced complaints that he mistreated female passengers and lied about his activities when stopped by police in 2022. Lawyers for Abrego have argued that alleged co-conspirators cooperating with prosecutors cannot be trusted because they are seeking relief from their own criminal charges and deportations. The defense has argued that witnesses gave inconsistent statements to investigators, including about the government's core allegation that Abrego is a member of the MS-13 gang.
CTV News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
U.S. judge rules Abrego's challenge to wrongful deportation can proceed
Supporters of Kilmar Abrego rally outside the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., on July 7, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein / AP Photo) GREENBELT, Md. - A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that Kilmar Abrego's legal challenge to his wrongful deportation to El Salvador can continue despite the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to bring him back to the United States to face criminal charges. Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis found that there were ongoing issues to resolve in the case, including whether the administration fully complied with prior orders to facilitate Abrego's return and allow his immigration case to be handled as though he had not been improperly deported. Justice Department lawyers had argued that the case was moot given Abrego's return from El Salvador in June to face U.S. charges accusing him of unlawfully transporting migrants living illegally in the United States. Abrego has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Tennessee. Abrego is a Salvadoran national who was living in Maryland when the U.S. government deported him in March to El Salvador despite a 2019 judicial order barring such a move on the grounds that he could face persecution by gangs in his home country. His wife and young son are American citizens. Xinis during Monday's hearing expressed frustration over the administration's handling of the case, particularly the uncertainty over a potential second deportation. A federal judge overseeing Abrego's criminal case ordered last month that Abrego be released, but the Trump administration has said it plans to immediately take him into immigration custody and bring new deportation proceedings. 'It's chaos, and it's chaos that can be avoided,' Xinis said on Monday. Xinis ordered U.S. officials to testify on Thursday about the administration's plans for Abrego if he is released from criminal custody. The case has drawn attention as Trump pursues his hardline approach toward immigration. Trump administration officials have portrayed Abrego as a criminal. A Justice Department lawyer said on Monday that if Abrego is deported again he would most likely be sent to an unidentified third country, but left open the possibility that the government would seek to reverse the 2019 ruling that barred deporting him to El Salvador. The timing of that potential second deportation is unclear, but the Trump administration has said it plans to bring Abrego to trial on the human smuggling charges. Abrego sued in Maryland federal court to challenge his deportation to El Salvador and is now seeking to revise the lawsuit following his return to the United States. Abrego's lawyers have asked that he be returned to Maryland and be given an opportunity to challenge any future deportation. In rejecting the administration's bid to end the civil lawsuit, Xinis found there was a risk that Abrego could be improperly deported again. 'For three months your clients told the world they weren't going to do anything to bring him back,' Xinis told a Justice Department lawyer. 'Am I really supposed to ignore all that?' (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Will Dunham and Chizu Nomiyama ) Andrew Goudsward, Reuters
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US judge rules Abrego's wrongful deportation challenge can proceed
By Andrew Goudsward GREENBELT, Maryland (Reuters) -A U.S. judge ruled on Monday that Kilmar Abrego's legal challenge to his wrongful deportation to El Salvador can continue despite the decision by President Donald Trump's administration to bring him back to the United States to face criminal charges. Maryland-based U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis found that there were ongoing issues to resolve in the case, including whether the administration fully complied with prior orders to facilitate Abrego's return and allow his immigration case to be handled as though he had not been improperly deported. Abrego is a Salvadoran national who was living in Maryland when the U.S. government deported him in March to El Salvador despite a 2019 judicial order barring such a move on the grounds that he could face persecution by gangs in his home country. His wife and young son are American citizens. Xinis during Monday's hearing expressed frustration over the administration's handling of the case, particularly the uncertainty over a potential second deportation. "It's chaos, and it's chaos that can be avoided," Xinis said. Justice Department lawyers had argued that the case should be moot given Abrego's return from El Salvador in June to face U.S. charges accusing him of unlawfully transporting migrants living illegally in the United States. Abrego has pleaded not guilty to the charges in Tennessee. The case has drawn attention as Trump pursues his hardline approach toward immigration. Some advocacy groups and judges hearing the case have expressed concerns about potential violations of Abrego's legal rights and of court orders. Trump administration officials have portrayed Abrego as a criminal. A Justice Department lawyer said on Monday that if Abrego is deported again he would be sent to an unidentified third country, but left open the possibility that the government would seek to reverse the 2019 ruling that barred deporting him to El Salvador. Abrego sued in Maryland federal court to challenge his deportation and is now seeking to revise the lawsuit following his return to the United States. Abrego's lawyers have asked that he be returned to Maryland and be given an opportunity to challenge any future deportation. Xinis rejected the administration's bid to end Abrego's civil lawsuit, finding that there was still a dispute over whether her prior ruling required Abrego's return to Maryland. The judge also found there was a risk that Abrego could be improperly deported again. The administration has said it intends to prosecute the criminal case but also has vowed to take Abrego into immigration custody and bring new deportation proceedings.
Reuters
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Judge rules Abrego wrongful deportation challenge must proceed
GREENBELT, Maryland, July 7 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ruled that Kilmar Abrego's legal challenge to his wrongful deportation to El Salvador will continue despite the Trump administration's decision to bring him back to the United States to face criminal charges. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland found that there were ongoing issues to resolve in the case, including whether the Trump administration had fully complied with prior orders to facilitate Abrego's return and allow his immigration case to be handled as though he had not been improperly deported. Lawyers for the Trump administration had argued the case should be moot given Abrego's return this month to face U.S. charges accusing him of unlawfully transporting migrants living illegally in the United States. Abrego has pleaded not guilty.
