U.S. rights group celebrates release of wrongfully-deported Abrego

Bangkok Post Group

Immigrant advocates on Friday cheered the decision by a U.S. judge ordering the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego, whose wrongful deportation became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00A crowd of supporters cheered Kilmar Abrego on Friday after a check-in with immigration

00:07authorities in Maryland. It comes a day after a federal judge ordered Abrego released after

00:13months in federal custody.

00:17Abrego's long-running battle against deportation has become a rallying point for opponents of

00:22U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

00:26Glenn Ivey is a Democratic congressman from Abrego's home state, Maryland.

00:29The judges keep telling him they're wrong. The judges keep telling him to stop breaking

00:33the law. The judges keep telling him to let him come home. Kilmar, welcome home. You're

00:39going to get to stay this time when we fight. And we will not stop fighting.

00:44A judge had ordered his immediate release from immigration detention, ruling that the Trump

00:48administration never secured a formal order for his removal from the United States.

00:52Speaking in Spanish, Abrego said on Friday that the first thing he did after his release

00:59was spend time with his family, who he said mean everything to him.

01:03A federal judge today ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego-Garcia.

01:07Asked about the ruling on Thursday, White House spokesperson Caroline Levitt criticized the

01:12judge and said the administration intended to file an appeal.

01:14Absolutely. The White House, the administration, opposed this activism from a judge who is

01:20really acting as a judicial activist, which we've unfortunately seen in many cases across

01:25the country.

01:26Abrego, a sheet metal worker who entered the U.S. illegally, had been living in Maryland

01:30with his wife, a U.S. citizen, and their children. He was arrested by immigration agents and in

01:35March sent to a Salvadorian mega-prison known for harsh conditions. Thursday's decision is the

01:40latest legal victory for Abrego in his battles with the Trump administration. The U.S. Supreme

01:45Court previously ordered the government to return him from El Salvador. Back in the U.S.,

01:49he was charged with human trafficking and pleaded not guilty. A federal judge overseeing that case

01:54found a reasonable likelihood that the prosecution was, quote, vindictive and brought by the Trump

01:59administration in retaliation for Abrego challenging his March deportation. The Trump administration is

02:04now trying to deport Abrego for a second time, appealing to several African nations as potential

02:10destinations. Liberia, where Abrego has never set foot, agreed to accept him temporarily on a

02:16humanitarian basis. Abrego's lawyers said he will agree to be deported to Costa Rica, which had

02:22previously agreed to offer Abrego refugee status. The Trump administration has not said why it will not

02:28agree to Costa Rica, citing only the need for continuing negotiations.

02:31On Friday, Abrego said his fight would continue and vowed to, quote, stand against all the injustices

02:41this government has committed.

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