US authorities informed Kilmar Ábrego García of potential deportation to Uganda within hours of his Friday release from a Tennessee jail. The Salvadoran national had just declined a plea deal that would have sent him to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges.
Ábrego García's legal team say the government offered the Costa Rica deal on Thursday after it became clear he would be freed. Costa Rica had agreed to accept him as a refugee and provide legal status there, according to court documents.
Uganda deportation threat
His lawyers now argue the Uganda deportation threat represents government coercion. "The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat," they wrote in court filings.
Ábrego García has no known ties to Uganda. The US reached bilateral deportation agreements with Honduras and Uganda as part of its immigration crackdown, though Uganda's foreign ministry says the arrangement excludes individuals with criminal records and prefers African nationals.
Personal background
The Guardian reports Ábrego García lived in Maryland for over a decade, working construction while married to an American citizen with three children. He entered the US as a teenager in 2011, fleeing gang violence in El Salvador.
He was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March due to what the Trump administration acknowledged was an "administrative error". After being held in the notorious Cecot prison, a judge ordered his return to the US, where he was charged with human smuggling.
Government accusations
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem called Ábrego García a "monster" and criticised the judge's release decision as endangering Americans, according to The Independent. Officials allege he has ties to the MS-13 criminal gang, which he denies.
The Independent reports the MS-13 allegations stem from a confidential informant claiming Ábrego García wore gang-signaling clothing in 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains his innocence.
Legal proceedings
Ábrego García is scheduled to appear in a Baltimore court on Monday. If a judge approves the government's deportation request, he could face removal to Uganda within days.
The case has become emblematic of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement approach. His legal team argues the Uganda threat violates due process and amounts to punishment without conviction.
Sources used: "BBC", "The Guardian", "The Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
