Judge orders release of documents in Kilmar Abrego Garcia deportation

Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke with a Maryland constituent, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration on April 17. The conversation took place as seen in a photo taken by President Nayib Bukele for UPI.

A federal judge in Maryland ordered the unsealing of seven documents related to the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador, which the government claimed was due to an administrative error. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, appointed by President Barack Obama, ruled that the records must be made public following a request from 14 media organizations. One of the documents will have redactions.

Judge Xinis also granted a request from Abrego Garcia’s legal team to file a motion by June 11 seeking sanctions against the Trump administration for failing to bring their client back to the United States. Additionally, Xinis ordered that an April 30 hearing be unsealed but with redactions to protect potentially classified or sensitive information.

During the April hearing, the judge instructed the Trump administration to comply with expedited discovery to determine if they were adhering to the Supreme Court’s directive to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. There is a disagreement between the government and Abrego Garcia’s attorneys regarding what it means to “facilitate” his return.

Judge Xinis has not yet decided on whether to initiate contempt proceedings against the administration. She emphasized the importance of public access to court records for trust in the judicial process and fairness.

Abrego Garcia had been living in Maryland since 2011 and was deported to El Salvador in March by the Trump administration, who later acknowledged the deportation as a mistake due to his legal status. The Department of Homeland Security was prohibited from deporting him to El Salvador because he could face persecution by local gangs. Abrego Garcia was not given a hearing before his deportation.

The government has used the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime immigration law from 1798, to swiftly deport migrants from the U.S. despite previous court orders from Judge Xinis, Judge James Boasberg, and others to bring them back for due process hearings.