Trump-Era Deportation Battle: Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Fight Against Removal to Eswatini Resurfaces

In a development from the Trump administration era that continues to draw scrutiny, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, was informed by the Trump administration that he faced deportation to the African kingdom of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. This revelation, detailed in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) email obtained by CBS News, highlighted a complex and shifting legal battle over his status.

Abrego Garcia’s attorneys had previously warned of his fears of persecution or torture in Uganda, another country federal authorities had considered for his deportation. The ICE official, while noting Abrego Garcia’s claims of fear regarding deportation to over 20 countries, primarily in Latin America, stated the claims were “hard to take seriously” before officially naming Eswatini as the new country of removal.

Eswatini marked at least the fourth potential destination proposed for Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March of that year, held in a notorious prison, and returned to the U.S. in June, only to face federal smuggling charges. Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, was one of several nations that agreed to accept deportees from the U.S. who were not their citizens, with reports of some being held incommunicado in its prisons.

A federal judge in Maryland had paused his possible deportation to Uganda, while his lawyers continued to fight both his criminal charges and the multiple deportation proceedings. Abrego Garcia also sought asylum in the U.S., a claim the Trump administration opposed, citing alleged MS-13 affiliation, smuggling charges, and a domestic violence complaint, all of which Abrego Garcia strongly denied and was not criminally charged for in the domestic violence matter. His attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, expressed confidence in Abrego Garcia’s asylum claim if granted a fair trial.

阅读中文版 (Read Chinese Version)

Disclaimer: This content is aggregated from public sources online. Please verify information independently. If you believe your rights have been infringed, contact us for removal.