Federal judge blocks Abrego Garcia deportation through October
A recent court order issued by a federal judge in Maryland has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the U.S. until at least October. This decision comes after Abrego Garcia was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody earlier this week, sparking legal battles with the government.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis extended a temporary restraining order that requires Abrego Garcia to remain in the continental U.S. and within 200 miles of the court in Greenbelt, Maryland. An evidentiary hearing is set to take place on October 6, and Xinis will rule on the emergency motion within 30 days after the hearing.
The latest development keeps Abrego Garcia in the U.S. for at least five more weeks, preventing the Trump administration from deporting him to a third country like Uganda. His lawyers filed an emergency habeas request to ensure due process protections before any deportation actions are taken.
ICE officials had planned to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, but the details of the agreement between the U.S. and Uganda were not immediately clear. The Trump administration objected to the court’s decision to extend the restraining order, but they have agreed to comply with the ruling.
Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have also filed an emergency motion to reopen his immigration case to seek asylum, a request that is outside of Judge Xinis’s jurisdiction and was filed in an immigration court in Baltimore.
Xinis had expressed concerns over the lack of information regarding Abrego Garcia’s protections in Uganda compared to assurances provided by Costa Rica. The Costa Rican government had guaranteed that Abrego Garcia would have freedom and would not be re-deported to El Salvador. The Justice Department had offered him the option of being removed to Costa Rica as part of a plea deal, but he declined.
Breanne Deppisch, a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital, covers the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
