Hearing Set in Migrant's Possible Third-Country Deportation

Federal prosecutors have stated the Trump administration intends to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant previously wrongfully deported despite a 2019 protection order, to a third country after his release from a Tennessee jail. Abrego Garcia, who faces human smuggling charges and has pleaded not guilty, was returned to the U.S. for trial following controversy over his earlier removal. His lawyers are now seeking emergency judicial intervention to prevent deportation before his trial, arguing that such action would deny him due process and potentially hide government errors. Judges in Tennessee and Maryland have expressed uncertainty over their authority to halt immigration enforcement, but a hearing is set for July 7 in Maryland to address the issue. The administration claims there are no imminent plans to deport him and says it will follow court orders, though advocates worry he could be removed before his legal and criminal proceedings conclude. The case has become a prominent example in debates over Trump-era immigration enforcement and migrants' due process rights.