Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court has temporarily halted a judge’s ruling that required the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father they erroneously deported to a prison in El Salvador.
The ruling came down just hours after government attorneys requested the Supreme Court overturn a prior decision from a federal judge.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland ordered the administration to bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States by the end of the day on Monday.
Roberts’ decision will give the court more time to review the case. He ordered lawyers in the case to respond by Tuesday, April 8th at 5 p.m.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Federal ICE officials took Abrego Garcia, 29, into custody on March 12 following a traffic stop in the parking lot of an Ikea store close to his residence in Beltsville, Maryland, approximately thirty minutes from Washington.
Authorities allege that he is associated with the MS-13 gang, and is guilty of human trafficking, yet have not provided any proof to support this claim.
According to reporting from The Independent, on April 4, government attorneys admitted Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported due to an “administrative error.
Attorneys then argued that the matter was no longer in their hands, saying they were unable to get him back from El Salvador. Critics cite the agreement between President Donald Trump and President Bukele of El Salvador could be used as leverage in getting Abrego Garcia back.
Judge Xinis mentioned the agreement involving the U.S. government paying El Salvador $6 million to detain Venezuelans deported under the Alien Enemies Act, noting it is essentially a contract. This highlights the possibility of the government negotiating the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
“This is just a temporary administrative stay, we have full confidence that the Supreme Court will resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” Abrego Garcia’s attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told The Independent.
