In a decisive ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has ordered the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a legally residing Salvadoran national, to the United States by April 7, 2025, following his erroneous deportation to El Salvador. Judge Xinis condemned the deportation as "wholly lawless," emphasizing the lack of legal basis for his arrest, detention, or removal.

Abrego Garcia, 29, had been living in Maryland with his wife and three children, all U.S. citizens. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him protection from deportation, recognizing the credible threats he faced from gangs in El Salvador. Despite this protection, he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on March 12, 2025, after completing his shift as a sheet metal worker apprentice in Baltimore. Within three days, he was deported to El Salvador and incarcerated in the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), a prison notorious for human rights abuses.

During a court hearing, Judge Xinis stated, "From the moment he was seized, it was unconstitutional." She ordered the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S. by April 7, 2025. The Department of Justice acknowledged the deportation as an "administrative error" but argued that the court lacked the authority to mandate his return. Attorney Erez Reuveni, who admitted the wrongful deportation in court, and his supervisor, August Flentje, were placed on administrative leave following the incident.

Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez, expressed the family's devastation, stating, "In a blink of an eye, our three children lost their father, and I lost the love of my life." The case has intensified scrutiny of the administration's immigration enforcement practices, highlighting concerns about due process violations and the treatment of legally residing immigrants.

As the April 7 deadline approaches, the administration's response to Judge Xinis's order will be closely watched, with significant implications for immigration policy and the balance of power between the judiciary and the executive branch.