Immigration officials have moved to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, after he rejected a plea deal tied to Costa Rica. The Salvadoran national had been offered deportation to Costa Rica in exchange for remaining in jail and pleading guilty to smuggling.
That proposal arrived late Thursday, just as Abrego Garcia appeared set for release from a Tennessee jail after weeks in detention. He refused the offer, chose freedom, and was released Friday to join his family in Maryland while awaiting his upcoming trial.
Later the same day, the Department of Homeland Security informed his attorneys that deportation to Uganda was imminent and unavoidable. Abrego Garcia’s case has long been entangled in the drama of Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, turning him into an unexpected flashpoint.
In March, he was mistakenly deported from the United States, only to be returned under court order in June and swiftly detained. Although granted eligibility for pretrial release, Abrego Garcia stayed in custody at his lawyers’ urging, fearing another rapid deportation attempt.
Those fears eased slightly when a Maryland court ruling required immigration officials to provide him the chance to present a legal defense. Now, as he faces the threat of deportation once more, his legal battle captures the collision between law, politics, and human fate.
