Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man residing in Maryland, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, by the Trump administration, a move later acknowledged as an "administrative error." Despite a 2019 immigration judge order explicitly forbidding his deportation to El Salvador due to his well-founded fear of gang violence, Abrego García was forcibly sent to CECOT, a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador known for housing dangerous criminals. He had lived in Maryland since illegally entering the U.S. at age 16, fleeing gang threats back home. His wrongful deportation and imprisonment sparked outrage and raised major due process concerns, as he had never been charged with a crime either in the U.S. or El Salvador before being detained there.

Upon his return to the U.S. in June 2025, Abrego García was immediately taken into federal custody and charged with alleged human smuggling conspiracy and gang affiliation, accusations he denies. He pleaded not guilty and has steadfastly rejected claims linking him to MS-13, a gang the government unsuccessfully tried to associate with him. His lawyers denounce these charges as vindictive and politically motivated retaliation for his challenge to the unlawful deportation. Despite being authorized for pre-trial release, his attorneys chose to keep him detained fearing further attempts by immigration authorities to deport him again to El Salvador or another country.

After more than two months in detention in Tennessee following his re-entry, Kilmar Ábrego García was released in August 2025 and is now en route to reunite with his Maryland family. His release came after a federal judge ruled that ICE cannot detain him immediately upon release and must provide at least 72 hours' notice before any such action. The government’s attempts to deport him once again, now to Uganda, have sparked ongoing legal battles. His legal team is preparing to argue he would face persecution if sent to Uganda, just as in El Salvador. The case remains active, with Kilmar awaiting trial while fighting deportation and demanding respect for his rights and family unity.

The case of Kilmar Ábrego García has become emblematic of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement, highlighting clashes between executive actions and judicial rulings. It emphasizes serious failures in due process and the human cost of harsh immigration policies, especially for vulnerable individuals with valid protection claims. His ordeal vividly illustrates the consequences of erroneous deportation decisions and the complexity of immigration law enforcement in the United States, as well as the ongoing struggle for justice faced by many migrants caught in the system.