Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become a high‑profile legal flashpoint amid disputes over U.S. immigration enforcement and judicial oversight. In March 2025, Abrego was mistakenly deported to El Salvador despite a court order protecting him from removal due to gang violence threats. After multiple court battles, he was returned to the U.S. in June and indicted in Tennessee on human smuggling charges tied to a 2022 traffic stop. He pleaded not guilty.

Tensions escalated when federal authorities sought to keep Abrego in detention and deport him to a third country (not El Salvador), such as Uganda, Ghana, or Eswatini—many of which rejected U.S. requests to accept him. However, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis issued a ruling barring ICE from taking him into custody immediately upon release from criminal jail and required at least 72 hours’ notice before initiating third‑country removal, thus protecting his due process rights.

More recently, Abrego was released from criminal custody in Tennessee under supervision and sent back to Maryland, with electronic monitoring and home confinement conditions. Still, his immigration status remains in limbo. The Trump administration continues to push for deportation despite court orders and diplomatic refusals. Legal observers and advocates argue that the case underscores deep conflicts between executive enforcement power and judicial protections in immigration law.