From Maryland to a Mega-Prison: The Cost of a Government Mistake

A federal judge has strongly criticized the U.S. government after a Maryland man was wrongly deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador, calling the action “wholly lawless.”

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, had been living in Maryland with his family and regularly checked in with immigration officials. He had never been charged with a crime in the U.S. or El Salvador. But in March, he was suddenly detained and deported, accused of gang ties — accusations he has denied, and for which no evidence has been presented in court.

Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland said the government had no legal reason to arrest or deport him and described the prison he was sent to as one of the most dangerous in the Western Hemisphere. She ordered that Abrego Garcia must be returned to the U.S. immediately and rejected the Justice Department’s claim that it didn’t have the power to bring him back.

“This was an illegal act,” the judge wrote, noting that Garcia was sent away despite a previous court order that clearly barred his removal.

Meanwhile, the lawyer who criticized the government’s actions in court was placed on leave just a day after the ruling. Critics say this is part of a larger pattern of aggressive and sometimes unlawful immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.

Civil rights groups have raised serious concerns, especially for migrants like Garcia, who followed all rules and were still wrongly punished.