By Micah Jonah, April 8, 2026
The administration of Donald Trump has reaffirmed its intention to deport Salvadoran immigrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, despite mounting criticism and legal concerns surrounding the decision.
During a hearing on Tuesday, government lawyers told Paula Xinis that Liberia remains the preferred destination for Abrego Garcia’s deportation. The move comes even as Abrego Garcia has expressed a preference to be sent to Costa Rica, a country that has indicated willingness to accept him.
The case has drawn widespread scrutiny due to its origins. In March 2025, Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, despite a 2019 protection order that recognized he could face gang violence if returned. The administration later described the removal as an “administrative error.”
At the time, officials declined to facilitate his return, alleging that he had ties to criminal gangs, although he had no criminal record. Following his deportation, Abrego Garcia was detained in El Salvador, including time at the country’s high-security terrorism confinement facility and another prison in Santa Ana.
Legal challenges in the United States eventually led to a court ruling ordering the government to facilitate his return. That decision was upheld unanimously by the US Supreme Court. However, Abrego Garcia was not brought back to the US until June 2025.
Upon his return, the administration filed criminal charges against him for human smuggling, which he has denied. He remained in custody for months, as authorities argued he posed a flight risk. Even after a court ordered his release in August, immigration agents quickly re-detained him.
During that period, authorities initially proposed deporting him to Uganda before later naming Liberia as the intended destination. Abrego Garcia was eventually released from immigration detention in December 2025, but his legal battles over both the criminal charges and deportation proceedings continue.
At the latest hearing, Judge Xinis questioned the government’s insistence on Liberia, particularly given Costa Rica’s stated willingness to accept him under an existing agreement to receive deportees from the United States.
A Justice Department official suggested that Abrego Garcia could voluntarily relocate to Costa Rica, but the judge dismissed the idea, noting that ongoing criminal proceedings require his presence in the United States. She described the proposal as unrealistic under the current legal circumstances.
The case continues to raise broader questions about the legal and ethical implications of deportation policies under the Trump administration, particularly in cases involving procedural errors and contested allegations. Another hearing has been scheduled for April 28 as the matter remains unresolved.
