Federal Court Intervenes, Halting Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Controversial Deportation to Uganda

A federal court in Maryland has intervened, issuing an order to halt the immediate deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, just hours after he was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Monday, August 25, 2025. The dramatic development follows a new lawsuit filed by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys challenging his confinement and the controversial plan to deport him to the East African nation.

Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, had only been released from pretrial detention last Friday after facing federal human smuggling charges. He arrived at an ICE facility on Monday morning for a check-in, only to be taken into custody for deportation processing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed he was being processed for removal to Uganda, citing an agreement reached with the country last week to accept some deportees. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem issued a strong statement, labeling Abrego Garcia an “illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator,” claims his family denies.

However, his attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, swiftly filed a lawsuit, arguing that there was no need for ICE detention given Abrego Garcia was already on electronic monitoring. Sandoval-Moshenberg accused authorities of weaponizing the immigration system, alleging an attempt to coerce a guilty plea by offering deportation to Costa Rica as a “carrot” while threatening Uganda as a “stick.”

U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis, who is overseeing the case, quickly held a hearing on Monday and issued an oral order preventing the government from immediately removing Abrego Garcia from the U.S. or altering his legal status. The order also specifically bars the Trump administration from moving him from the ICE facility in Virginia where he is currently held, effectively putting his deportation on hold for now.

This latest twist in Abrego Garcia’s case comes after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, held in a notorious prison, and then returned to the U.S. in June. The situation has drawn significant political attention, with Maryland Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Gov. Wes Moore advocating for due process and criticizing the administration’s handling of the case. An immigration judge had previously ruled in 2019 that Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador due to fears of gang persecution.

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