Judge Orders Testimony in Abrego Garcia Deportation Case

Judge Orders Testimony in Abrego Garcia Deportation Case \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A federal judge is demanding sworn testimony from Trump administration officials over the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to an El Salvador prison. The Supreme Court had ordered his return, but U.S. officials failed to act. The case has drawn national attention and criticism over due process and diplomatic boundaries.

Quick Looks

• Who: Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, wrongfully deported despite protection.
• What: Judge orders testimony to determine if Trump officials defied court.
• Where: Deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador.
• Judicial Authority: Supreme Court and U.S. District Court ordered his return.
• White House Position: Claims no power to override El Salvador’s refusal.
• Testimony Ordered: Four Trump officials from ICE, DHS, and State Department.
• Potential Outcome: Contempt proceedings may follow fact-finding phase.
• Political Backlash: Sen. Chris Van Hollen plans El Salvador visit.
• Public Response: Protesters outside courthouse demand due process.
• Family Impact: Wife says deportation was a traumatic abduction.

Deep Look

A U.S. federal judge has ordered four Trump administration officials to testify under oath about their roles in the controversial deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongly expelled to a notorious prison in El Salvador, despite court orders to protect him from removal.

Judge Paula Xinis, a U.S. District Judge in Maryland, said on Tuesday that sworn testimony is necessary to determine whether federal officials violated her and the Supreme Court’s order to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return. She openly criticized the administration’s defiance, calling their inaction a breach of clear legal authority.

Deportation Defied Legal Protections

Abrego Garcia, 29, lived and worked in the U.S. for over 14 years. He was granted protection from deportation in 2019 by an immigration judge due to the threat of gang violence in El Salvador. He held a legal work permit, was a metalworker, and a union member, while raising three children with disabilities.

Yet in March, despite those protections, he was abruptly deported to El Salvador, where he was placed in a high-security prison. The Trump administration later called it an “administrative error,” while also claiming without evidence that Abrego Garcia was linked to the MS-13 gang. He has never been charged with a crime and denies all gang affiliations.

Judge Blasts White House, Orders Accountability

In her Tuesday order, Judge Xinis dismissed public remarks from the White House and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who claimed returning Abrego Garcia was diplomatically or logistically unfeasible. “The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said. “What was said in the Oval Office on Monday is not before the court.”

She ordered officials from ICE, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the State Department to testify about their actions—or lack thereof—in retrieving Abrego Garcia. She noted that officials “have done nothing at all” and are still “obligated, at a minimum, to take the steps available” to assist in his release.

International Diplomatic Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that the federal government must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release. But the White House contends that U.S. courts cannot compel the executive branch to conduct diplomatic negotiations. Bukele compared returning Abrego Garcia to “smuggling a terrorist into the United States”—a claim Biden-appointed and Trump-appointed judges alike have questioned.

Documents also show that the U.S. is funding El Salvador’s incarceration system, with a recent $6 million agreement for the country to imprison Venezuelan migrants. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers argue that those same agreements can be leveraged to request his return.

Legal Consequences and Next Steps

Judge Xinis expects the fact-finding hearings to last about two weeks. Contempt charges against federal officials remain a real possibility if they are found to have willfully ignored the court’s rulings. Attorney Rina Ghandi, who represents Abrego Garcia, praised the judge’s actions but warned, “We’re not done yet.”

The case is drawing growing political attention. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced he will travel to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia’s wellbeing and meet with officials.

Family Devastated by Deportation

Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said her family has been shattered. “That dream was shattered on March 12th when he was abducted and disappeared by the United States government in front of our 5-year-old child,” she said emotionally outside court. “I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive.”

The couple’s three children, all living with disabilities, have reportedly struggled without their father and primary caretaker.

Public Outcry Grows

Outside the federal courthouse in Maryland, protesters demanded justice, chanting, “What do we want? Due process. When do we want it? Now!” The case has become a flashpoint in the national conversation around mass deportations and due process under Trump’s second administration.

Key Takeaways:

• Federal Judge Paula Xinis has ordered sworn testimony from four Trump officials tied to Abrego Garcia’s deportation.
• Abrego Garcia was deported despite legal protections and a 2019 ruling shielding him from removal.
• The Supreme Court ruled the U.S. must facilitate his return, but officials have not complied.
• The White House and El Salvador have pushed back, claiming limited diplomatic options.
• Legal experts and lawmakers say the U.S. has the authority—and obligation—to repatriate him.
• Contempt proceedings may follow if the court finds willful disobedience.

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