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Topics: El Salvador, Immigration, Court, US News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: El Salvador, Immigration, Court, US News
A man who was accidentally sent to the 'world's worst prison' will remain behind bars for the foreseeable.
In March, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador's Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) alongside 22 other Salvadorians and over 200 Venezuelans, all of whom are alleged criminals.
But it turns out Abrego Garcia was deported by mistake because of an 'administrative error' the Trump administration said, sparking calls for him to be returned to the US.
Abrego Garcia, who is said to have illegally come to the US 14 years ago, has since returned to America but remains in custody as he is facing criminal charges of human smuggling brought forward by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which he is awaiting trial for.
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Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the crimes he's accused of.
While he reportedly entered the US illegally some years ago, it was ruled by a judge in 2019 that he shouldn't be deported as Abrego Garcia was said to be facing gang threats in his native country.
Despite the 2019 ruling, it seems as if the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is still keen to deport the 29-year-old and there are fears he'll be forced to go back to El Salvador if he's released from US custody.
With this in mind, his lawyers are said to be campaigning for him to remain behind bars for now so he can stay in America.
Speaking in court yesterday (June 25), US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes said that she was going to order that Abrego Garcia be released ahead of his trial, CNN reports. This order could be signed as early as tomorrow.
Elsewhere, Holmes gave Abrego Garcia's defense until 12pm today to file and order expressing their concerns about their defendant being deported should he be released.
Part of the order reads: "By no later than noon on June 26, 2025, the defendant Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia (“Abrego”) shall submit his supplemental briefing on the issues described during the release hearing held on June 25, 2025. The United States shall submit its response by no later than noon on June 27, 2025."
It goes on to add: "Abrego shall remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending entry of the Court’s release order and order setting conditions of release, which shall issue following the parties’ submissions directed above."
Should Abrego Garcia be released from US custody and detained by ICE as suspected, the Court will have no control over what happens to him, Fox News explained.