A federal court hearing regarding whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man previously deported by mistake under the Trump administration, can be sent to Liberia was abruptly canceled on Tuesday in Greenbelt, Maryland. The cancellation leaves his immediate legal status unresolved. Abrego Garcia’s defense attorneys had planned to request that a federal judge block his potential deportation to Liberia amid an ongoing legal battle. The proceedings before U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis were delayed before a court official announced the cancellation, prompting the courtroom to clear. Abrego Garcia, who resided in Maryland alongside his family, was erroneously deported to El Salvador in March 2025 in violation of a 2019 judicial order protecting him from removal due to potential gang threats. The administration alleged he was associated with MS-13, an accusation he has consistently denied. He was initially detained in El Salvador at the CECOT mega-prison before being brought back to the United States in June 2025 to face criminal human smuggling allegations. Earlier this year, federal authorities stated their readiness to deport him to Liberia and requested that Judge Xinis lift the injunction preventing his removal. Court documents indicated that Liberian authorities agreed to accept him, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement prepared to organize a charter flight. Liberia is one of several nations participating in an agreement to accept non-native immigrants from the United States, a policy that began applying to Latin American deportees in August. Meanwhile, Abrego Garcia has expressed a willingness to relocate to Costa Rica, which has signaled a willingness to grant him refugee status or residency. However, Justice Department officials previously stated that discussions regarding sending him to Costa Rica had not taken place. Tuesday’s scheduled session would have marked the first court appearance since a federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the criminal human smuggling indictment against Abrego Garcia, concluding that the prosecution was vindictive. The government appealed that dismissal in August. In prior legal briefs, Abrego Garcia’s representatives accused the Trump administration of misusing immigration authorities to penalize him for contesting his initial removal to El Salvador. Legal filings asserted that if the government genuinely wanted to remove him, he could have been sent to Costa Rica after designating it as his preferred destination. The administration has additionally pursued his deportation to Uganda, Eswatini, and Ghana, though those nations declined to take him. The Justice Department maintains that Abrego Garcia’s legal motions should be rejected because his arguments lack merit under the law. He remains out of ICE custody while the legal proceedings continue.
Source: cbsnews.com
