Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was wrongfully deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador, was notified by immigration authorities that he may be deported to Uganda, less than 24 hours after his release from federal custody.
Abrego “may be removed to Uganda no less than 72 hours absent weekends,” a source familiar with the case told NBC News on Saturday.
It is unclear if Abrego would be imprisoned or walk free in Uganda if he is deported there.
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego’s attorneys, said he would “fight tooth and nail against any form of deportation to Uganda” or nearby countries in Africa.
“It is preposterous that they would send him to Africa, to a country where he doesn’t even speak the language, a country with documented human rights violations, when there are so many other options,” he told reporters. “This family has suffered enough.”
The father of three was accidentally deported to the El Salvador’s CECOT prison, notorious for its harsh conditions, in March, in what they called an “administrative error.”
His deportation conflicted with a withholding of removal order from 2019 that prevents Abrego’s deportation to El Salvador, where is originally from, due to concerns that he would be persecuted by violent gangs. The 2019 protective order does not bar Abrego from being deported to another country.
After months of resisting, the Trump administration brought Abrego back to the U.S. in June.
The administration immediately jailed Abrego and charged him with conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain and unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
For months, the administration has also accused Abrego of being a member of the violent gang MS-13, which his lawyers and family members have repeatedly denied. Abrego’s lawyers have said he illegally immigrated to the U.S. when he was 16 to join his brother in Maryland to escape gang violence in El Salvador.
On Friday, Abrego was released on parole from the jail where he was held, near Nashville, Tennessee, and immediately returned to Maryland. He was reunited with his family after spending nearly half a year away from home.
Images of the reunification, released by advocates, show a teary-eyed Abrego holding his youngest son, who was with his father when Abrego was picked up by immigration authorities in March.
“Today has been a very special day because I have seen my family for the first time in more than 160 days,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“I’d like to thank all the people who have supported me because after this long time I have witnessed that so many people have been by my side with such positivity,” he added. “Today I am grateful to God because He has heard me and today I am out. We are steps closer to justice, but justice has not been fully served.”
Sean Hecker, another one of Abrego’s attorneys, said in a court filing on Saturday that the Trump administration offered Abrego a plea deal earlier this week to deport him to Costa Rica.
Hecker wrote that if Abrego agreed to pause his release from federal custody until Monday, and plead guilty to both counts of the criminal indictment against him in Tennessee, “then the government would promise to deport Mr. Abrego to Costa Rica after serving any sentence imposed by the Court.”
The court filing contains correspondence from the Trump administration and Costa Rican government, showing that the Costa Rican government said it would not detain Abrego upon his arrival to the country.
“There can be only one interpretation of these events: the DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat,” Hecker wrote.
Sandoval-Moshenberg appeared to suggest that deportation to Costa Rica might be favorable for his client.
“That’s a pretty reasonable option, right? I mean, Costa Rica makes sense,” he said. “It’s a Spanish speaking country. It’s proximate to the United States. His family can visit him there easily.”
The White House continued to berate Abrego on Friday, accusing him of being a violent gang member.
“He will face justice for his crimes. It’s an insult to his victims that this left-wing magistrate intervened to put him back on the streets,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Garcia will be subject to ankle monitoring to ensure the safety of the American public until further action can be taken.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Abrego’s release “a new low.”
“By ordering this monster loose on America’s streets, this judge has shown a complete disregard for the safety of the American people,” she wrote on X. “We will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country.”
Abrego’s lawyers have now notified the judge in the Middle District of Tennessee that ICE has informed Abrego of its intent to deport him to Uganda. Abrego could not face the criminal charges of human smuggling brought against him by Department of Justice in that case if he is out of the country.
His trial is set for January.
