Update: Department of Homeland Security told Mr Garcia’s attorneys that the notice to deport him to Ghana was “premature” asked them to disregard the document.
Original Story
Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who was erroneously deported to a notorious prison in his home country earlier this year, are set to appear in federal court in Maryland on Friday for an evidentiary hearing.
Government witnesses are expected to testify about the steps taken to remove him from the United States, amid a series of abrupt changes in deportation plans that have left his legal team demanding his release from detention.
The hearing follows a tense exchange earlier this week in which a U.S. District Judge expressed frustration with Department of Homeland Security lawyers, who were unable to provide clarity on whether there was evidence beyond two letters — sent to Mr. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys — indicating plans to deport him to Eswatini, a small kingdom in southern Africa.
The department informed his lawyers that it now intends to send him to Ghana instead, the latest twist in a case that has highlighted the complexities and potential abuses in the nation’s immigration enforcement system.
Appeal For Release From Custody
Mr. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have argued that without concrete plans for his imminent removal, he should be freed from immigration custody.
“If there are no current plans for his deportation, holding him indefinitely serves no purpose other than punishment,” one of his attorneys said in court filings.
The 34-year-old Mr. Abrego Garcia had been living legally in Maryland with his American wife and their three children when, in March, he was deported to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — a sprawling facility built to house gang members — despite a 2019 court order prohibiting his removal to that country over fears of persecution.
The Trump administration had labeled him a member of MS-13, the transnational criminal gang, a charge that his family and legal team vehemently deny.
Mr. Abrego Garcia, a construction worker with no prior criminal record in the United States, had been granted withholding of removal status based on threats he faced from rival gangs in El Salvador.
The government has informed his lawyers that it plans to deport him to a third country other than El Salvador — possibilities floated in court include Uganda or Eswatini — but as Mr. Abrego Garcia awaits his criminal trial, Judge Xinis has issued an order barring any such removal for now.
“Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia”
In a post on X, Ghana’s foreign minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, announced that the West African nation would not accept Mr. Abrego Garcia as part of any deportation agreement with the United States.
“Ghana is not accepting Abrego Garcia. He cannot be deported to Ghana,” Mr. Ablakwa said, drawing a firm line amid broader discussions on limited immigration repatriation deals.
Mr Ablakwa stated that in his interactions with US officials, there was an understanding that accepting a limited number of non-criminal West Africans, purely on the grounds of African solidarity and humanitarian principles, would not be expanded.
Source: ABC News
This article was edited with AI and reviewed by human editors
