Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native residing Maryland, was mistakenly deported in March to a mega-prison in his residence nation of El Salvador — regardless of a 2019 court docket order barring his deportation to that nation as a consequence of worry of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the legal gang MS-13, which his household denies.
After a collection of court docket battles wherein the Trump administration stated it couldn’t deliver him again regardless of the Supreme Courtroom ordering them to facilitate his return, Abrego Garcia was indicted for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants inside the USA, and introduced again to the U.S. to face fees.
Right here is how the case has unfolded.
March 15, 2025
The Trump administration, as a part of its immigration crackdown, deports three planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador, the place they’re incarcerated within the infamous CECOT mega-prison below an settlement with the Salvadoran authorities. The alleged gang members embrace Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose protected authorized standing precludes him from being deported to that nation.
Salvadoran law enforcement officials escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua lately deported by the U.S. authorities to be imprisoned within the Terrorism Confinement Heart jail, in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, obtained March 16, 2025.
Presidency Of El Salvador/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
March 18, 2025
Households of a number of of the deported males inform ABC Information that their detained kin don’t have any legal report in the USA — a incontrovertible fact that’s acknowledged by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, who nonetheless says that “the dearth of particular details about every particular person truly highlights the danger they pose” and “demonstrates that they’re terrorists with regard to whom we lack a whole profile.”
April 1, 2025
In a sworn declaration as a part of a lawsuit introduced by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official says Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador because of an “administrative error” — however that he’s nonetheless below a “last order of removing” for deportation, after the federal government rescinded his protected authorized standing as a consequence of his purported gang ties as alleged by a confidential police informant.
Courtroom paperwork say that on March 12, Abrego Garcia was detained by ICE officers who “knowledgeable him that his immigration standing had modified” as a result of MS-13 allegations, after which he was transferred to a detention heart in Texas after which deported to El Salvador.
Undated photograph supplied by the U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Maryland, a person recognized by Jennifer Vasquez Sura as her husband, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is led by drive by guards via the Terrorism Confinement Heart in Tecoluca, El Salvador.
U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Maryland by way of AP
April 4, 2025
U.S. District Choose Paula Xinis, at a listening to in Maryland, grants a preliminary injunction and orders the federal government to “facilitate and effectuate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the USA by midnight on April 7.
Requested by Choose Xinis below what authority legislation enforcement officers seized Abrego Garcia, DOJ legal professional Erez Reuveni says he doesn’t have the reply, telling the decide, “Your honor, my reply to numerous these questions goes to be irritating and I am additionally pissed off that I’ve no solutions for you on numerous these questions.”
April 5, 2025
A day after the listening to, the Justice Division locations DOJ legal professional Erez Reuveni on indefinite paid depart over a “failure to zealously advocate” for the federal government’s pursuits.
April 7, 2025
Supreme Courtroom Chief Justice John Roberts points a brief administrative keep pushing aside Choose Xinis’ midnight deadline for the federal government to return Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, as a way to give the court docket extra time to contemplate the arguments offered by each side.
April 8, 2025
After the Trump administration, in a court docket submitting, argues {that a} decide cannot demand Abrego Garcia’s return as a result of a federal court docket cannot order a president to interact in international diplomacy, an legal professional for Abrego Garcia tells ABC Information he believes the Supreme Courtroom will rule in his shopper’s favor.
April 9, 2025
In an interview with ABC Information, Abrego Garcia’s spouse, a U.S. citizen, denies the Trump administration’s allegation that her husband is a member of the legal gang MS-13.
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, spouse of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, speaks throughout a press convention on the day of a listening to within the case associated to Kilmar Abrego Garcia outdoors U.S. District Courtroom in Greenbelt, Maryland, April 15, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters
April 10, 2025
The U.S. Supreme Courtroom unanimously guidelines that Choose Xinis “correctly requires the Authorities to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s launch from custody in El Salvador and to make sure that his case is dealt with as it could have been had he not been improperly despatched to El Salvador.”
“The supposed scope of the time period ‘effectuate’ within the District Courtroom’s order is, nonetheless, unclear, and should exceed the District Courtroom’s authority,” the court docket writes. “The District Courtroom ought to make clear its directive, with due regard for the deference owed to the Govt Department within the conduct of international affairs.”
The Trump administration, decoding the ruling as prohibiting the district court docket from ordering the manager department to take any motion that may violate the separation of powers, celebrates the order as a victory for the administration.
April 11, 2025
Saying “the Supreme Courtroom has spoken fairly clearly” that Abrego Garcia must be launched from El Salvador, Choose Xinis slams the federal government’s dealing with of the case and orders the Justice Division to supply her with “every day updates” on Abrego Garcia’s standing and their efforts to deliver him again.
April 12, 2025
A State Division official, in response to Choose Xinis’ demand for every day updates, tells the decide that Abrego Garcia is “alive and safe” in El Salvador’s CECOT jail, however supplies no details about their efforts to return him to the USA.
April 14, 2025
Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi, in an Oval Workplace assembly with President Trump and the visiting El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, says that Abrego Garcia’s return is “as much as El Salvador,” after which Bukele says, “I haven’t got the facility to return him to the USA.”
President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele within the Oval Workplace on the White Home in Washington, April 14, 2025.
Win McNamee/Getty Photos
April 15, 2025
Choose Xinis, in a listening to, takes Justice Division attorneys to job over the Trump administration’s inaction and orders authorities officers to testify below oath via expedited discovery as a way to resolve Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation.
Previous to the listening to, a DHS official says the Trump administration is “ready to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s presence in the USA … if he presents at a port of entry” — however that DHS doesn’t have the authority to forcibly extract him “from the home custody of a international sovereign nation.”
April 16, 2025
The Division of Justice information discover that it’s going to attraction Choose Xinis’ ruling ordering the federal government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, and releases two paperwork that have been beforehand used to allegedly tie Abrego Garcia to MS-13.
The developments come on the identical day that DHS, in a social media submit, shares court docket information exhibiting that Abrego Garcia’s spouse had a month-long order of safety towards him in 2021, wherein she cited being slapped, hit with an object, and being detained towards her will.
In the meantime, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the place Abrego Garcia and his household reside, travels to El Salvador within the hope of assembly with Abrego Garcia to get solutions about his deportation and test on his situation.
April 17, 2025
Slamming the federal government for “asserting a proper to stash away residents of this nation in international prisons with out the illusion of due course of,” the U.S. Courtroom of Appeals for the 4th Circuit denies the Trump administration’s effort to attraction Choose Xinis’ order requiring it to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.
Late within the day, Sen. Van Hollen shares a photograph on social media of him assembly with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia’s spouse is informed that the assembly was arrange by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a supply near the household tells ABC Information.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen shares photograph of assembly Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen/ X
April 18, 2025
Sen. Van Hollen, at a information convention following his return from El Salvador, supplies particulars of his assembly with Abrego Garcia, saying that authorities introduced Abrego Garcia to his resort for the assembly and that Abrego Garcia informed him he had been transferred 9 days in the past to a different facility and was not being held on the CECOT mega-prison — though he nonetheless has no entry to information and no means to speak with the skin world.
April 20, 2025
Trump administration border czar Tom Homan tells ABC Information’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl that the administration correctly used the Alien Enemies Act when it deported Abrego Garcia.
Sen. Van Hollen, discussing Abrego Garcia in a separate “This Week” interview, tells Karl, “I’m not defending the person. I am defending the rights of this man to due course of.”
April 21, 2025
The Salvadoran authorities rejects a request from 4 Democratic lawmakers to go to Abrego Garcia in El Salvador.
April 22, 2025
Choose Xinis, overruling objections raised by the Trump administration, orders the federal government to extra absolutely reply and reply to discovery requests from Abrego Garcia’s attorneys.
April 23, 2025
Choose Xinis, on the Trump administration’s request, briefly pauses discovery within the case for seven days.
April 29, 2025
In an unique interview with ABC Information to mark his one centesimal day in workplace, President Trump says he “might” safe the return of Abrego Garcia, and “if he have been the gentleman that you simply say he’s, I’d try this” — earlier than including, “I am not the one making this choice.”
April 30, 2025
A number of sources inform ABC Information that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in contact with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about Abrego Garcia, though particulars of their contact will not be instantly clear.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks with a Tennessee state trooper on the aspect of I-40 in 2022.
Tennessee Freeway Patrol
Might 2, 2025
Newly launched video reveals the moments when Abrego Garcia was pulled over by state troopers in Tennessee in 2022.
Might 6, 2025
Sources inform ABC Information that the Justice Division has spoken with a convicted felon in an Alabama jail about potential connections to the 2022 Tennessee visitors cease involving Abrego Garcia.
Might 7, 2025
Choose Xinis orders attorneys for Abrego Garcia and the DOJ to submit briefs by Might 12 and schedules a listening to for Might 16 after the Trump administration invokes the not often used state secrets and techniques privilege to defend details about its dealing with of the matter.
Might 8, 2025
Attorneys for Abrego Garcia, saying they’re “nonetheless in the dead of night” after deposing three authorities officers within the case, ask Choose Xinis to authorize the depositions of three further officers.
Might 13, 2025
Legal professionals for Abrego Garcia, in a court docket submitting, push again on the Trump administration’s invocation of the state secrets and techniques privilege, saying that the federal government has produced no proof that it is made “the slightest effort” to facilitate his launch.
Might 16, 2025
Beneath orders from Choose Xinis following a listening to on the matter, the Trump administration releases Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Might 5 declaration supporting the invocation of the state secrets and techniques privilege within the case. Rubio, within the declaration, says that the disclosure of sure info requested by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys “might be anticipated to trigger vital hurt to the international relations pursuits” and nationwide safety pursuits of the U.S.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is positioned within the again seat of a truck by ICE brokers after arriving in Nashville, Tenn., June 6, 2025.
ABC Information
June 6, 2025
Abrego Garcia is introduced again to the U.S. to face legal fees for allegedly collaborating in a yearslong conspiracy to haul undocumented migrants from Texas to the inside of the USA. Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi, after the administration had stated for months that it couldn’t deliver him again, says, “Our authorities offered El Salvador with an arrest warrant and so they agreed to return him to our nation.”
Abrego Garcia makes his preliminary court docket look within the Center District of Tennessee, answering “Sure, I perceive” in Spanish when U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose Barbara Holmes asks him if he understands the fees towards him.
