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The administration of Donald Trump is considering the possibility of deporting Kilmar Abrego García, originally from El Salvador, to Uganda, following his release from custody in Tennessee, according to a notice from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtained by CBS News this Saturday.
Abrego, accused in the United States of human trafficking, had been wrongfully deported to El Salvador at the beginning of this year, where he remained incarcerated for months in a local prison before being returned to U.S. territory.
A judge ordered his release on bail pending a trial set for January, but hours later his lawyers received a notification of a potential deportation to Uganda, with a 72-hour window for execution.
The situation arises after Uganda accepted an agreement with Washington to receive deportees who are not its citizens, becoming the latest "third country" to join these immigration practices promoted by the Trump administration.
Abrego's lawyers revealed that the U.S. government had previously offered him an alternative agreement to relocate him to Costa Rica as a refugee after serving his sentence.
However, upon rejecting him, ICE notified that he could be sent to Uganda, which his advocates describe as a pressure tactic and "political revenge" against their client.
"There can only be one interpretation of these facts: the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or his deportation to Uganda, where his safety and freedom would be at risk," they wrote in the document submitted this Saturday.
In 2019, an immigration judge determined that Abrego could not be deported to El Salvador due to the risk of being targeted by gangs, although months later he was sent there due to what the government referred to as an "administrative error."
Now, the possibility of his deportation to a country with which he has no ties strengthens the criticism of this policy of expulsions to third countries.
Abrego plans to return to Maryland, where he lived with his family, while his lawyers insist that the process infringes on his rights and personal safety.
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