Kilmar Abrego Garcia expects to be detained by ICE again, attorney says

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Updated @ 9:28 PM EDT on August 24, 2025

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly sent to an infamous jail in El Salvador and eventually returned to the United States, is expected to be arrested by immigration officials once more on Monday, according to his lawyer.

In an interview with All Things Considered that aired on Sunday, lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg stated that Abrego Garcia, who was released from criminal custody in Tennessee on Friday while awaiting a federal prosecution, has been instructed to report to an ICE detention center in Baltimore on Monday.

“ICE doesn’t need to hold him, in my opinion. “They’ve got him right now,” Sandoval-Moshenberg stated, adding that the U.S. Marshals Service is using a GPS ankle band to electronically monitor Abrego Garcia. However, given that’s essentially what they do, I anticipate that ICE will place him in detention. They have declared their intention to attempt his deportation.

Following his release on Friday, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers filed a court filing on Saturday stating that immigration officials informed them that they intended to deport him to Uganda after he refused a plea deal to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to smuggling charges and staying in custody.

Additionally, his lawyers think that Uganda is being used as “a means of punishment” in order to pressure Abrego Garcia into entering a guilty plea. According to Sandoval-Moshenberg, no guarantees have been made regarding Uganda, and although they are worried about the living conditions he would face there, they are also worried that it could be a means of sending Abrego Garcia back to El Salvador.

“If Uganda is going to deport him right back to El Salvador, whether, you know, the next day, the next month, or even in a few months, that’s just as illegal as it would be for them to send him straight to El Salvador for a second time,” said Sandoval-Moshenberg.

Originally from El Salvador, Abrego Garcia has been residing in Maryland.

A request for comment from NPR was not immediately answered by ICE.

According to Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia was glad to spend the weekend with his loved ones, even if it was just for a brief period of time.

“On Saturday, he got to Maryland at about three in the morning. His five-year-old child and his entire family were still up, anticipating his arrival. Although it might just be a temporary respite, he is truly delighted to be back with his friends and family.

The audio interview was produced and edited by Henry Larson, Sarah Robbins, and Elena Burnett.

Copyright 2025 NPR

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