Immigration officials intend to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda after he declined an offer to be deported to Costa Rica to remain jailed and plead guilty to human smuggling charges. The Costa Rica offer arrived late Thursday; he declined and was released on Friday to await trial in Maryland, and the Department of Homeland Security later notified his attorneys that he should report for deportation on Monday. Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported in March, returned in June and detained on smuggling charges. He remained jailed while eligible for pretrial release because attorneys feared immediate deportation; a Maryland ruling requires officials to allow time to mount a defense.
The Costa Rica offer came late Thursday, after it was clear that the Salvadoran national would likely be released from a Tennessee jail the following day. Abrego Garcia declined to extended his stay in jail and was released on Friday to await trial in Maryland with his family. Later that day, the Department of Homeland Security notified his attorneys that he would be deported to Uganda and should report to immigration authorities on Monday.
Although Abrego Garcia was deemed eligible for pretrial release, he had remained in jail at the request of his attorneys, who feared the Republican administration could try to immediately deport him again if he were freed. Those fears were somewhat allayed by a recent ruling in a separate case in Maryland, which requires immigration officials to allow Abrego Garcia time to mount a defense.
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