Kilmar Abrego Garcia Taken Into Ice Custody At Appointment

BALTIMORE — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who reunited pinch his family past week aft 160 days isolated pursuing his mistaken deportation to El Salvador, was taken into ICE custody Monday aft an migration check-in, his lawyer said.

The check-in pinch U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement successful Baltimore was portion of nan conditions of his Friday merchandise from national custody connected parole.

While specified meetings are usually regular and are meant for lawsuit updates, Abrego's attorneys said they expected he would beryllium taken into ICE custody during nan check-in aft nan Trump management announced complete nan play its intent to deport him to Uganda.

"There was nary request to return him into ICE detention ... nan only logic they took him into detention was to punish him," for utilizing his law correct to speak up and conflict proceedings, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, 1 of Abrego's attorneys, said connected Monday morning.

He said lawyers asked ICE officers why Abrego was taken into custody, and nan serviceman would not answer. The ICE officers would besides not springiness accusation arsenic to wherever Abrego is going, Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

Abrego said astatine a property convention earlier heading into his ICE assignment connected Monday morning, surrounded by family, supporters, religion leaders, and his ineligible team, who were each calling for his freedom.

"My sanction is Kilmar Abrego Garcia, and I want you to retrieve this, retrieve that I americium free and I was capable to beryllium reunited pinch my family," he said successful Spanish earlier a translator repeated successful English.

"This was a miracle. Thank you to God and convey you to nan community," Abrego added. "I want to convey each and each 1 of you who marched, assistance your voices, ne'er extremity praying, and proceed to conflict successful my name."

It's nan latest move by nan authorities to footwear Abrego from nan state aft he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador successful March, successful usurpation of a 2019 tribunal order. After overmuch ineligible resistance, Abrego was returned to nan U.S. successful June and deed pinch quality smuggling charges out of Tennessee, which he pleaded not blameworthy to.

The Trump management has many times accused Abrego of being a pack personnel portion of nan notorious MS-13, which his attorneys person denied. Abrego’s lawyers person said he illegally immigrated to nan U.S. erstwhile he was 16 to subordinate his relative successful Maryland to flight pack unit successful El Salvador.

The Trump management offered Abrego a plea woody past week, his lawyers said successful a Saturday tribunal filing that was portion of their efforts to get nan charges successful Tennessee dropped complete what they see to beryllium "vindictive" and "selective" prosecution.

If he pleads blameworthy to nan national charges retired of Tennessee and serves time, he tin beryllium deported to Costa Rica. The Costa Rican authorities said he'd unrecorded arsenic a free man there, according to nan filing.

Before nan Monday morning's appointment, Sandoval-Moshenberg said his customer would not beryllium taking nan plea woody arsenic Abrego "will not judge charges of which he's not guilty." This intends nan statement to beryllium deported to Costa Rica could beryllium disconnected nan table.

Abrego's attorneys rebuffed nan Trump administration's evident effort to strong-arm him.

"What they’re trying to do present is punish him. They’re trying to usage nan deportation system, and specifically, they’re trying to usage which state they’re readying connected deporting him to arsenic a intends of punishing him for exercising his law rights," Sandoval-Moshenberg said Saturday extracurricular Abrego's brother's location successful Maryland.

Gary Grumbach reported from Baltimore, Marlene Lenthang from Los Angeles and Rebecca Cohen from New York.