U.S. immigration officials have notified Kilmar Abrego Garcia of their intent to deport him to Uganda, his attorneys said in a Saturday filing that accuses the government of pressuring Abrego Garcia to accept a plea deal.
The move comes after Abrego Garcia, who in March was wrongfully deported to an infamous prison in El Salvador, was released from a jail near Nashville, Tennessee on Friday. He had been held there since he was returned to the United States in June to face federal human smuggling charges, which he denies.
In the new filing, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers say that the Trump administration offered on Thursday to deport him to Costa Rica, after serving any sentence imposed by the court, if he agreed to remain in jail until Monday and plead guilty to both counts in the criminal indictment.
Abrego Garcia declined to prolong his stay. His attorneys write that “within minutes of his release” on Friday, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement representative informed them that “the government intended to deport Mr. Abrego to Uganda,” ordering him to report to ICE’s office in Baltimore on Monday morning.
His attorneys allege that the Trump administration is effectively forcing Abrego Garcia to choose between pleading guilty and being deported to Costa Rica, or being deported to Uganda.
