As Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrenders to ICE, here’s why his case has become a flashpoint for MAGA
Months after the government said he was mistakenly sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador, Kilmar Abrego Garcia faces another deportation threat.
Following his release from federal custody in Tennessee on Friday, immigration officials revealed plans to deport the Maryland father to Uganda, after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges.
According to Abrego’s defense attorneys, the government said he has until Monday morning to accept the deal, or “that offer will be off the table forever.”
Under the looming threat of a second deportation, Abrego, a 30-year-old Salvadoran national, was scheduled to check in at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore as part of the conditions of his release from federal custody on parole.
Speaking at a rally before surrendering to ICE early Monday, Abrego told the crowd: “Brothers and sisters, my name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this: remember that I am free, and I was able to be reunited with my family.”
Shortly after he entered a federal building for his check-in, Abrego was detained by ICE agents.
MAGA-aligned officials have cast Abrego as a test case to show the administration’s resolve on the enforcement of its hardline immigration policies.
As Abrego battles against another deportation order, here’s what you need to know about his case:
Abrego fled El Salvador at age 16 because the Barrio 18 street gang extorted and terrorised his family, court records state. He traveled to Maryland in 2011, where his brother lives as a U.S. citizen, but was not authorized to stay.
Abrego found work in construction and met Jennifer Vasquez Sura, who would later become his wife. In 2018, he moved in with her and her two children after she became pregnant with his child.
While looking for work in a Home Depot in March 2019, police arrested Abrego and accused him of being a member of the ultra-violent, transnational street gang the Mara Salvatrucha – more commonly known as MS-13.
According to a court document, officials hung their allegations on three pieces of evidence: a Chicago Bulls hat, a hoodie and an unnamed informant who claimed Abrego was a member of the group’s clique in New York, where he has never lived.
Through his attorneys, Abrego has denied any affiliation with MS-13. He has no criminal record in either the U.S. or El Salvador.
A judge subsequently granted Abrego protection from deportation to his native El Salvador because he might face danger there over death threats from the Barrio 18 street gang.
