Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained by ICE during Baltimore check-in
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March and later returned to the U.S., was taken into federal custody Monday morning by immigration authorities. An attorney for Abrego Garcia confirmed the news to NPR.
The detention, which was expected, happened minutes after Abrego Garcia walked into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Baltimore for a check-in after being released from federal custody on Friday in Tennessee pending a trial on separate criminal charges.
Talking to supporters gathered outside the building, Abrego Garcia said seeing his family over the weekend filled him with hope, and said those moments “will give me strength to continue fighting.”
“God is with us. God will never leave us. God will bring justice to all of the injustice we are suffering,” Abrego Garcia said, fighting through tears.
Abrego Garcia on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging his current detention and any deportation to Uganda or any other country until a trial is held at an immigration court.
In a statement after his detention, Kristi Noem, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Abrego Garcia is being processed “for removal to Uganda.”
At the core of Abrego Garcia’s case is the question of due process under President Trump’s aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants in the U.S. The man was arrested in March and sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to the Central American country because of the “well-founded fear” of gang persecution there. The Trump administration conceded Abrego Garcia’s removal was an “administrative error,” and returned him to the U.S. in June, to face criminal charges.
He was indicted on two charges, including conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants and unlawful transportation of migrants without legal status.
The Trump administration has said it intends to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, despite the latter government indicating last week it prefers to receive people from other African countries and individuals without criminal records.
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said in a court filing that the U.S. government has offered the possibility of deporting him to Costa Rica if Abrego Garcia pled guilty to the criminal charges against him and served the imposed sentence. His attorneys have said that move is “coercive” and “vindictive.”
“Regardless of what happens today with ICE, please promise me that you will keep fighting, praying, believing in the dignity and the liberty for not only me, but for everyone,” Abrego Garcia told supporters.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
‘It’s like feeling the arms of your creator just wrapped around you’: a visit to a special healing Shabbat
Members of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham gathered recently for their traditional Friday Shabbat service. But this particular service was different, as could be seen by all the people dressed in their finest pink.
Space Command is coming to Huntsville. What might that mean for first-time homebuyers
While Huntsville has been a more affordable market than other growing cities, what’s it been like for those looking for their first home?
Colorado says relocation of Space Command to Alabama is ‘punishment’ for mail-in voting
The litigation announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser asks a federal judge to block the move as unconstitutional.
Breaking down Alabama’s CHOOSE Act
It’s been a year since Alabama legislators passed the CHOOSE Act allowing families to apply for state funds to use towards homeschool expenses and tuition for participating private schools. The Alabama Daily News’ education reporter Trisha Powell Crain has been diving into how the funds are being used. WBHM’s Andrew Gelderman sat down with her to talk about what we’re seeing so far.
