Kilmar Abrego Garcia entered the news in March 2025 after he was deported to El Salvador despite a court ruling that should have prevented it. His complicated legal fight since then has galvanized both sides of the debate over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.There is a civil case in Maryland where he has been challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s attempts to deport him to a series of African countries. A criminal case in Tennessee, where the government accused him of human smuggling, has just been dismissed after a judge found evidence of “vindictive prosecution” by the Justice Department.Here is a timeline of key events:Arrival: around 2011Abrego Garcia flees El Salvador for the U.S. as a teenager.Arrest: March 28, 2019Abrego Garcia is arrested outside a Maryland hardware store. Police accuse him of being a gang member and turn him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration court: Oct. 10, 2019A Maryland immigration judge rules that Abrego Garcia cannot be deported to El Salvador, where a gang has threatened his family. He is given a work permit and placed under federal supervision.Detained by ICE: March 12, 2025Abrego Garcia is detained by ICE in Baltimore while driving home with his 5-year-old son.Deportation: March 15, 2025Abrego Garcia is mistakenly deported to El Salvador and held in a notoriously brutal prison.Supreme Court: April 10, 2025The U.S. Supreme Court says the Trump administration must work to bring Abrego Garcia back.Criminal charges: June 6, 2025Abrego Garcia is returned to the U.S. and charged with human smuggling, based on a Tennessee traffic stop from 2022.Attempts at second deportation: July 23, 2025—presentICE announces plans to remove him to a series of African countries, but is blocked by an injunction from a Maryland federal judge.
