Kilmar Abrego-Garcia has once again been released from federal immigration custody after Maryland Judge Paula Xinis ordered his release. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis issued the order on December 11, as the government to provide a status update by 5 p.m. Abrego-Garcia’s attorneys confirmed he was released just moments before the deadline.
The move is a major setback for Trump’s administration and ICE agents who publicly deported the Maryland father on March 31, 2025.
As per The Mirror, his lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said that Garcia plans to return to Maryland, where he has resided for years with his American wife and young child, after initially coming to America as a teen.
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As per The Irish Star, on March 15, the administration sent three flights carrying Salvadoran and Venezuelan deportees to El Salvador’s infamous ‘Terrorism Confinement Center,’ falsely claiming they were all members of the Tren de Aragua gang, with no proof to back up the life-altering claim.
Later, they admitted that his deportation was an “administrative error.” Garcia left El Salvador after gang violence in 2011 and was granted protected status in 2019 by a judge after he was aware that he would be in danger if he headed back to his country. Despite knowing the loopholes, the ICE authorities made him an easy target.
After a court ordered him back, the Trump administration tried to deport him to several African countries instead. His attorney says that the government is still likely to try to remove him again, but they are ready to keep fighting. Abrego-Garcia is now asking the immigration court to reconsider his case so he can apply for asylum.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem criticized the judge’s decision, calling it “judicial activism” and promising to appeal. But Judge Xinis said officials misled the court about which countries agreed to take him, claiming that Costa Rica had never withdrawn its offer even though the government suggested it had.
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Furthermore, the 31-year-old also had a separate criminal charge case in Tennessee, where he pleaded not guilty to human smuggling. The judge in the state case has now ordered a hearing after saying that the charges “may be vindictive.”
Meanwhile, as per court documents, Gracia holds no criminal record, is married to an American citizen, and is a father to a U.S. citizen child with disabilities. He worked as a union sheet metal apprentice and checked in regularly with the ICE authorities.
These deportations began right after Trump returned to power in January 2025, and he swiftly ordered mass deportations. What began as an agenda to remove illegal immigrants and criminals who wrongfully entered the country has now become a full-fledged operation to torture people by abruptly arresting them and then deporting them.
In a similar case, 21-year-old permanent resident and Columbia University junior Yunseo Chung was also held by ICE after she participated in pro-Palestine protests. She sued the administration in return after their claims of trying to remove her. Thousands of people like them have faced the same fate.
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On June 14, 2025, Portland witnessed about 500 people gathered in front of the ICE headquarters for an “No Kings Protest,” also known internationally as the “No Dictators or No Tyrants” protests.
The date was particularly chosen for national coverage since it was Trump’s birthday as well as the U.S Army Anniversary Parade for which the government spent an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
The 79-year-old denounced the protests amid claims that he’s turning America authoritarian, America was becoming more like an authoritarian state. Kilmar Abrego-Garcia can now return to his family. Still, like many others, his battle for a robust, legitimate identity is far from over.
