Migrant at Center of Wrongful Deportation Case Faces Fresh Removal Threat in U.S.

Baltimore, August 25 — Kilmar Abrego, the migrant whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador made him a symbol of U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, has been ordered to appear before federal officials in Baltimore on Monday, amid the possibility of being deported again—this time to Uganda.

Abrego, 30, was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday after more than five months of detention, including time spent in a controversial mega-prison in El Salvador notorious for harsh conditions. He has since returned to his family’s home in Maryland, but immigration authorities may detain him again and initiate new deportation proceedings.

According to his attorneys, U.S. officials have proposed deporting Abrego to Costa Rica—a Spanish-speaking Central American country—if he pleads guilty to charges of transporting undocumented migrants. Without a plea deal, they warn, he could be removed to Uganda, which they described as “far more dangerous.” Abrego has pleaded not guilty, though his lawyers confirmed ongoing plea discussions in hopes of avoiding removal to East Africa.

His defense team is also seeking dismissal of the charges, arguing that Abrego has been “vindictively and selectively prosecuted” in retaliation for legally challenging his earlier deportation.

Abrego was previously deported to El Salvador in March despite a 2019 immigration court ruling prohibiting his return there due to the threat of gang persecution. He was flown back to the U.S. in June to face the current charges after a federal judge determined his earlier removal was an “administrative error.”

In July, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw upheld an order granting his release, ruling that Abrego posed neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted the government still considers him a dangerous criminal and immigration violator, describing him as a “monster” freed by “activist liberal judges.”

The case continues to draw attention from immigration advocates. Supporters have announced a prayer vigil outside the Baltimore ICE field office at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT), one hour before Abrego’s scheduled check-in with federal officials.