US Seeks Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda Amid Legal Battle

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador under the Trump administration, now faces potential deportation to Uganda after declining a plea deal that involved deportation to Costa Rica. Abrego, who was returned to the U.S. following a court order, was charged with human smuggling, charges he denies and argues are retaliatory. After refusing to plead guilty and remain jailed, immigration authorities notified his attorneys that he could be deported to Uganda and ordered him to report to ICE in Baltimore. Costa Rica had agreed to accept Abrego as a refugee if he served any criminal sentence, but following his release to Maryland, the U.S. government swiftly shifted plans to deport him to Uganda. His lawyers claim this move is coercive and punitive, responding with outrage immediately upon his release and imposing a deadline for accepting the Costa Rica deal, which Abrego rejected. The situation highlights concerns about retaliatory immigration enforcement and the government’s use of third-country deportations amid ongoing legal battles over Abrego's treatment and charges.