Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador and later brought back to the US to face federal criminal charges, has renewed his bid for asylum in the United States as the Trump administration’s effort to deport him to Uganda intensifies.
The request Monday to revisit his asylum application could have the impact of further delaying a potential deportation by the administration. Should an immigration judge grant the request to revisit his asylum claims, officials would be barred under federal law from removing him from the US pending resolution of his renewed asylum application.
Justice Department attorneys have separately acknowledged in court papers that they would let Abrego Garcia’s request to revisit his asylum claims play out before they proceed with deporting him. Officials are already barred from deporting him for now under other court-imposed orders.
“If the motion is granted then it’s been a sea change. We’re literally in a different ocean,” a source familiar with Abrego Garcia’s case told CNN.
Being granted asylum by an immigration judge would have the benefit of allowing Abrego Garcia to remain in the US.
