Judge: Abrego Garcia cannot be deported while he challenges Uganda deportation

CNN

A federal judge said Monday that she will order officials to keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia in the United States while she weighs a new legal challenge from him over the Trump administration’s plans to quickly deport him to Uganda. #CNN #News  # news #breaking #24x7

Transcript

00:00Tonight, a federal judge is telling the Trump administration it is, quote,

00:03absolutely forbidden to remove Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the United States

00:08as she weighs a new legal challenge over the Trump administration's plans to deport him

00:14to the East African nation of Uganda as soon as this week.

00:18Abrego Garcia became the face of President Trump's immigration crackdown

00:22after he was wrongfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador earlier this year.

00:27In June, the administration brought him back to the U.S. to face human smuggling charges

00:32and released him from federal custody late last week while he awaits trial.

00:37In the meantime, immigration officials took him into their custody today.

00:41Speaking through a translator, he delivered this message to his supporters.

00:46To all the families who have been separated,

00:50or to all the families who have been threatened with family separation,

00:55this administration has hit us hard.

00:59But I want to tell you guys something.

01:01God is with us, and God will never leave us.

01:04God will bring justice to all of the injustice that we are suffering.

01:10My source tonight is an attorney on Abrego Garcia's legal team, Brian Murray.

01:15Brian, thank you for being with us.

01:17The judge here planning to stretch out an existing hold on Abrego Garcia's removal

01:22until this legal challenge is sorted out.

01:25Do you know how long that's going to take?

01:29It's not clear at this point, Brianna.

01:32The judge tentatively set a hearing for this Friday,

01:37but it's likely to get pushed into next week.

01:39But for our part, we're going to do everything we can

01:42to exhaust all of Kilmar's rights.

01:45Abrego Garcia said that he fears being tortured

01:50if the Trump administration deports him to Uganda.

01:52Can you tell us about his concerns?

01:56Well, I can tell you this much.

01:59There is nothing in the actions that have taken place over the last several weeks,

02:05and especially recently, that gives us any assurance

02:08that if the Trump administration were to deport Kilmar to Uganda,

02:14that he wouldn't just immediately be on a plane back to El Salvador directly thereafter

02:21and back into Seacott, where he did already experience torture this year.

02:25He prefers the U.S. send him to Costa Rica,

02:29which the administration had offered if he accepted a plea by this morning.

02:34He rejected that.

02:35Why did he reject that plea?

02:38Well, I want to say, first of all, that we are not his criminal defense attorneys

02:44and can't speak to some of the details regarding those plea negotiations.

02:48But I can tell you that given the history in this case,

02:52it's critical that any kind of deal that could be made,

02:57that there be real assurances that the government,

03:01who has not proven itself to be trustworthy so far in this case,

03:04that it keep its word.

03:06The judge also said that she is planning to hold an evidentiary hearing

03:13with witnesses in the coming days.

03:16Are you aware who those witnesses will be

03:18and what they could share with the court?

03:22No, I'm not.

03:23I think that that's unfortunately a little premature

03:27to get into that level of detail

03:30because those are still subject to negotiation and discussions between the parties.

03:35Okay.

03:36Mr. Obrego Garcia, as you mentioned, was sent to Seacott,

03:39that notorious prison in El Salvador, when he should not have been.

03:43The mistake was not immediately corrected.

03:45He's back now, but he could end up, as we've been talking about,

03:49in an African nation where he doesn't speak the language, doesn't have connections.

03:52You say he's worried that he could then be shipped back to El Salvador from there.

03:57What is the message that you think the Trump administration is sending other immigrants

04:04who are undocumented in the U.S. like your client?

04:06I think it's unequivocal that they're sending the message

04:11that you are to be run over and you are not to speak up,

04:18you're not to speak back,

04:19or we will bring the full force of the most powerful entity in the world against you.

04:27Brian Murray, thank you for being with us this evening.

04:30We'll continue to track this case, of course.

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