Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March 2025 despite an earlier immigration ruling that had allowed him to stay in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the administration to facilitate his return, and he was later indicted on human-smuggling charges after being brought back to the United States. Ongoing injunctions, a civil challenge in Maryland and a petition to reopen his asylum claim mean his legal status remains unsettled.
Deported Then Returned: Timeline of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Legal Battle with the Trump Administration
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March 2025 despite an earlier immigration ruling that had allowed him to stay in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the administration to facilitate his return, and he was later indicted on human-smuggling charges after being brought back to the United States. Ongoing injunctions, a civil challenge in Maryland and a petition to reopen his asylum claim mean his legal status remains unsettled.
01:10 AM, 11/21/2025Politics
Kilmar Abrego Garcia came to national attention in March 2025 after U.S. authorities deported him to El Salvador despite a prior immigration-judge ruling that should have prevented his removal. His case has since produced overlapping civil, criminal and immigration actions that have intensified debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and raised questions about agency procedures and judicial oversight.
Timeline of key events
Arrival — around 2011: Abrego Garcia left El Salvador as a teenager and entered the United States.
Arrest — March 28, 2019: He was detained outside a hardware store in Maryland. Local police accused him of gang affiliation and transferred him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Immigration court — Oct. 10, 2019: A Maryland immigration judge found that Abrego Garcia could not safely be returned to El Salvador because gangs had threatened his family. The judge authorized work authorization and placed him under federal supervision.
Deportation — March 15, 2025: Despite the earlier ruling, Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and was reported to have been held in a prison described by rights groups as notoriously brutal.
Supreme Court — April 10, 2025: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration must take steps to arrange his return to the United States.
Criminal charges — June 6, 2025: Abrego Garcia was unexpectedly returned to the U.S. and was indicted on human-smuggling charges linked to a Tennessee traffic stop in 2022.
Attempts at a second deportation — July 23, 2025–present: ICE announced plans to remove him to a series of African countries, but a Maryland federal judge issued an injunction blocking that removal while the courts consider related legal challenges.
Seeking asylum — Aug. 25, 2025: Abrego Garcia filed a petition to reopen his immigration proceedings so he can pursue an asylum claim in the United States.
Current status: Multiple proceedings remain active: a civil lawsuit in Maryland challenging DHS efforts to deport him again, a criminal case in Tennessee, and an immigration petition seeking asylum. The case continues to draw scrutiny over deportation procedures, judicial oversight and how agencies coordinate across civil, criminal and immigration systems.