Unlawful Deportation: Court Orders Return of US-Resident to America
- Individual mistakenly transported to U.S. due to administrative error.
In a shocking faux pas, the US government is set to return a man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man from El Salvador residing in the US, will be back in the US by latest Monday, as per a ruling by a Maryland federal judge. The Justice Department has already appealed the ruling.
Belonging to a group of migrants illegally taken to El Salvador's high-security prison Cecot, Garcia was allegedly deported in violation of a judge's order from Washington. Ironically, Garcia was protected from deportation due to the threat of persecution in El Salvador, a factor that his asylum application had considered back in 2019.
Despite his asylum rejection, US courts granted Garcia immunity from deportation in 2019, citing the threat of persecution in El Salvador. However, he was arrested in Maryland on March 12 and deported a few days later. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has since ruled that this deportation was unlawful.
The Trump administration admits an "administrative error" in the case but insists that Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang. They argue that a return is impossible since Garcia is in the custody of another state. However, a government lawyer admitted to U.S. media that a return is actually feasible.
Judge Xinis is skeptical of the allegations against Garcia, stating that there is no solid evidence of gang membership. She asserts that such claims should be clarified through regular criminal proceedings. Indeed, a government representative admitted during media interviews that Garcia should have never been deported.
The ongoing debate over the deportations to the prison has left the White House tight-lipped about the specific allegations against the individuals involved. They only speak in general terms of membership in criminal gangs like the Tren de Aragua from Venezuela and MS-13 from El Salvador.
Legal justification for the deportations is based on a controversial war law from the 18th century. The ongoing legal battle on its lawfulness is now before the Supreme Court.
In a lucrative deal, the US pays El Salvador an annual fee of $20,000 (approximately 18,500 euros) for each inmate El Salvador takes in. The Trump administration's public show of support for the deportations earned praise from El Salvador's authoritarian president Nayib Bukele. However, human rights organizations condemn Bukele's alleged arbitrary arrests and massive violations of fundamental rights, regarding the prison's conditions as inhumane.
- USA
- Deportation
- Mistaken Deportation
- Court Ruling
- Donald Trump
- Washington
- Maryland
- U.S. Media
- Justice Department
- Migrants
- Asylum
- El Salvador
- Human Rights
- Despite his asylum rejection in 2019, a US court granted Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man from El Salvador who was residing in the US, immunity from deportation due to the threat of persecution in El Salvador.
- In a shocking turn of events, a man belonging to a group of migrants illegally taken to El Salvador's high-security prison Cecot, was allegedly deported in violation of a judge's order from Washington.
- The Justice Department has already appealed a Maryland federal judge's ruling that the deportation of Garcia was unlawful, following his arrest in Maryland and subsequent deportation a few days later.
