Trump Administration Reaffirms Plan to Deport Salvadoran Immigrant to Liberia

Administration Insists on Sending Salvadoran National to West Africa

TENNESSEE, The legal battle surrounding the immigration status of Kilmar Abrego Garcia reached a new impasse on Tuesday as the administration of President Donald Trump reaffirmed its intent to deport the Salvadoran national to Liberia. The decision has fueled allegations that the government is pursuing a "vindictive" strategy against a man whose case has become a focal point for critics of the current mass deportation campaign.

Appearing before U.S. Federal Judge Paula Xinis, Justice Department lawyers maintained that Liberia remains the designated destination for Abrego Garcia’s removal. This is despite the fact that Costa Rica has expressed a willingness to accept him, and Abrego Garcia himself has requested to be sent there if he must leave the United States.

A History of "Administrative Errors"

The case of Abrego Garcia has been fraught with legal controversies since March 2025. Less than three months into the Trump administration's second term, he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. That removal violated a 2019 protection order which established that Abrego Garcia faced a credible threat of gang violence in his home country.

While the administration initially dismissed the incident as an "administrative error," officials resisted efforts to bring him back. Despite Abrego Garcia having no criminal record at the time, the government labeled him a gang member, arguing he was subject to El Salvador’s jurisdiction once he left U.S. soil. As a result, Abrego Garcia spent months imprisoned in El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) and a second facility in Santa Ana.

Legal Rebounds and Criminal Charges

In April 2025, Judge Xinis ordered the U.S. government to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia’s return, a ruling that was later upheld unanimously by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Following his return in June 2025, the narrative shifted. The administration immediately leveled criminal charges of human smuggling against him. Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty, but the government utilized the charges to keep him in custody, labeling him a flight risk. When he was eventually granted release from jail in August, immigration agents immediately re-detained him.

During these proceedings, the government’s proposed destination for his deportation has shifted repeatedly, moving from Uganda to the current proposal of Liberia.

"Fantasy" Negotiations

During Tuesday’s hearing, Judge Xinis questioned the logic of refusing the Costa Rican option, especially since Costa Rica recently signed an agreement with the U.S. to accept 25 removals per week.

Ernesto Molina, director of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, argued that Abrego Garcia could choose to "remove himself" to Costa Rica. Judge Xinis dismissed this suggestion as a "fantasy," pointing out the paradox of the government's position: Abrego Garcia cannot legally leave the country while the Justice Department continues to prosecute him on criminal charges.

"He is legally required to attend his criminal hearings," Xinis noted during the tense exchange.

Abrego Garcia was released from immigration detention in December 2025 but remains under the shadow of both the criminal smuggling charges and the ongoing efforts to send him to West Africa. A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for April 28 to address the destination dispute.