Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national who is residing in the United States with a grant of withholding of removal. In 2025, ICE arrested him in Maryland and in spite of his legal status, sent Abrego Garcia to El Salvador’s notorious prison, CECOT, as part of a deal negotiated by the two governments. After enormous uproar over his case, Kilmar was finally returned to the United States in June 2025, two months after the Supreme Court had unanimously ordered that he be returned.
However, upon his return, Abrego Garcia was transported to Tennessee and imprisoned on new charges of human smuggling. Although he was granted release on bail, ICE arrested him again with the intent to deport him to a third county. His legal team fought to get him released from ICE custody again, and he was released by a judge’s order on December 11, 2025. The federal government appears committed to persecuting Abrego Garcia because of the attention his case has received.