Wrongly deported migrant Abrego again faces possible removal to Uganda or Costa Rica

Mr Kilmar Abrego, the migrant whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador made him a symbol of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies, has been summoned to appear before federal officials in Baltimore on Aug 25 while facing the possibility of being deported again, this time to Uganda.

Mr Abrego, 30, was released from criminal custody in Tennessee on Aug 22 and returned to a family home in Maryland after more than five months of detention, including time in a controversial mega-prison in his native El Salvador known for its harsh conditions. But he may not be free for long, as immigration officials could take him into custody and initiate new deportation proceedings.

US officials have offered to deport him to Costa Rica – which, like El Salvador, is a Spanish-speaking country in Central America – if he pleads guilty to charges of transporting migrants living illegally in the US, according to his lawyers.

Without a guilty plea, he could be removed to Uganda, an East African country that is “far more dangerous”, his lawyers said in court documents filed on Aug 23.

Mr Abrego has pleaded not guilty, but his lawyers acknowledged they have entered plea discussions with the government to possibly avoid deportation to Uganda.

His lawyers are also asking the court to dismiss the charges, saying he had been “vindictively and selectively” prosecuted out of Trump administration retaliation for challenging his previous deportation. 

Mr Abrego was deported to El Salvador in March, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling that he not be sent there due to a risk of persecution by gangs. He was flown back to the US in June to face the new charges.

His case drew attention as the Trump administration for months took no apparent steps to bring him back, despite an official’s acknowledgement that his deportation had been an “administrative error” and a federal judge’s order to facilitate his return.

In July, US District Judge Waverly Crenshaw affirmed US Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes’ order for Mr Abrego to be released from pre-trial custody, finding he was neither a danger to the community nor a risk of flight. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the US government still considered him a dangerous criminal and an immigration violator, calling him a “monster” who was released by “activist liberal judges”.

Immigration activists have announced they will hold a prayer vigil in support of Mr Abrego outside the Baltimore field office at 7am EDT (7pm, Singapore time), an hour before his scheduled check-in with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. REUTERS