Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year and reunited with his family just last week after 160 days apart, was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody Monday during a scheduled check-in, his attorney said.
The Baltimore appointment was part of the conditions tied to his Friday release from federal custody on parole. While these meetings are typically routine updates, Abrego’s legal team anticipated the move after the Trump administration announced plans over the weekend to deport him to Uganda.
“There was no need to take him into ICE detention … the only reason they took him into detention was to punish him,” said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego’s attorneys. He argued the detention was retaliation for Abrego’s decision to speak out and fight the government’s actions.
According to Sandoval-Moshenberg, ICE officers declined to explain why Abrego was taken into custody or provide details on where he would be transferred.
Before entering the ICE office, Abrego addressed reporters at a press conference surrounded by family members, faith leaders, supporters, and his legal team.
“My name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to remember this — remember that I am free and that I was able to be reunited with my family,” he said in Spanish, later translated into English. “This was a miracle. Thank you to God and thank you to the community. I want to thank each and every one of you who marched, raised your voices, prayed, and fought in my name.”
The case marks the latest attempt by the government to remove Abrego from the U.S. He was first deported to El Salvador in March despite a 2019 court order prohibiting it. After legal challenges, he was returned in June but soon faced federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, to which he pleaded not guilty.
The Trump administration has repeatedly labeled Abrego an MS-13 gang member — allegations his attorneys reject. They say Abrego fled El Salvador at 16 to escape gang violence and join his brother in Maryland.
In a filing Saturday, his lawyers revealed that the administration had offered Abrego a plea deal in Tennessee. If accepted, he would serve prison time and then be deported to Costa Rica, where the government indicated he could live freely.
But ahead of Monday’s check-in, Sandoval-Moshenberg said Abrego would not accept the deal. “He will not accept charges of which he’s not guilty,” the attorney stated. Rejecting the plea could remove Costa Rica as a possible deportation destination.
Abrego’s attorneys argue the government is using deportation options as leverage to pressure him.
“What they’re trying to do here is punish him,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “They’re trying to weaponize the deportation system — and even the choice of country — to retaliate against him for exercising his constitutional rights.”
