Misdeportation Reversal: Court Orders Return of Salvadoran Migrant

 

A US federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must bring back a Salvadoran migrant who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in his home country. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, had been living legally in Maryland with a work permit and was married to a US citizen before he was deported on March 15 as part of a group of mostly-undocumented migrants.

In court filings, US Justice Department lawyers acknowledged that an "administrative error" led to his deportation. District Judge Paula Xinis declared that Abrego Garcia was detained and removed "without legal basis" or due process, stating that his continued detention in El Salvador constitutes "irreparable harm."

The judge ordered his return to the US by April 7, questioning the administration's claim that it lacked the legal authority to reverse the deportation. Abrego Garcia's legal team insisted, "They put him there, they can bring him back," a sentiment echoed by the judge when she asked, "Why can't the US get Mr. Abrego Garcia back?"

This ruling marks another legal setback for the Trump administration's controversial deportation policies, which have already come under fire following the recent deportation of several migrant groups with alleged ties to criminal gangs.