Man from Maryland was mistakenly deported to El Salvador Prison.

A man from Maryland, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, was deported to a high security prison in El Salvador last month. Recently, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to return Abrego Garcia to the United States by 11:59 on Monday, April 7. However, the Supreme Court ruled an administrative stay on the Judge’s order. 

Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. illegally to flee gun violence in 2011. He works as a sheet metal worker and is married to Jennifer Vasquez Sura. He and his wife share one son, and she has two kids from a previous marriage. When Abrego Garcia was arrested, his 5 year old son with autism and other disorders, was in the car with him. Later the Department of Homeland Security notified his wife and she went to retrieve him or they would have to  Confront Child Protective Services.

On March 12th, 29 year-old Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was pulled over with his son in the car. Despite a ruling in 2019, preventing him from getting deported because of death threats made by a gang, a few days later on March 15th, he was deported to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) , a maximum security prison, in El Salvador. 

The Trump Administration claimed that this mistake was an “administration error.” Despite ICE knowing, “of his protection from removal to El Salvador,” they still deported him. 

On April 4, a federal judge for the US District Court in Maryland, Judge Paula Xinis, ordered the Trump administration to return Abrego Garcia back to the US on Monday, April 7 by 11:59 pm. Later that day, the Trump Administration appealed the ruling, sending it to the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The US Court of Appeals rejected the administration’s order to block the judges ruling. However, Chief Justice John Roberts ruled for an “administrative stay” which temporarily pauses the judge’s ruling to return Abrego Garcia to the States, while the Supreme Court considers the arguments presented in the case.

ICE and the Trump administration has alleged Abrego Garcia of being a “ranking member” of the gang MS-13. These allegations originated from an arrest in 2019 where the county police questioned him about information on gang members. After explaining that he had no affiliation with the gang the county police turned him over to ICE. In his immigration hearing, ICE ruled against him with evidence saying that he was wearing a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie and a claim from a confidential informant stating that he is affiliated with the MS-13 gang, specifically in Long Island. 

The MS-13 gang has a specific attire that includes blue and black clothing or blue and white clothing with matching sneakers. They also often wear Chicago Bulls jerseys because their logo is of a bull with horns. The horns are a symbol of prominence for the MS-13 gang. 

On the other hand, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have rejected many allegations by the Trump administration that he is a member of the Long Island MS-13 gang. His lawyers are arguing against this by claiming he has never been to New York. 

The deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was a major event for the Trump Administration. They deported a man with the knowledge of a court ruling saying he can’t be deported. If cases like this keep happening, it would have a major effect on our country and our government.