Immigration attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, who represents Kilmar Abrego Garcia through the immigration law firm Murray Osorio, said during a Monday appearance on PBS that his client would agree to be deported to Costa Rica “tomorrow” if the Trump administration wants the citizen of El Salvador removed from the country “as quickly as possible.”
Sandoval-Moshenberg made the remarks during an appearance on “PBS News Hour,” when asked whether Abrego Garcia declined the plea deal offered in his federal human smuggling case last week.
“I don’t represent him in his criminal matters. I’m his immigration counsel,” said Sandoval-Moshenberg, before suggesting the Trump administration was unconstitutionally threatening to send Abrego Garcia to Uganda as a “punitive” measure to compel him to accept a plea deal which would see him sent to Costa Rica.
“They say that their goal is to get him out of the country as quickly as possible,” said Sandoval-Moshenberg. “There’s already an offer on the table from Costa Rica for refugee status in that country, and a guarantee that Costa Rica will not deport him on to El Salvador.”
Abrego Garcia’s attorney confirmed, “If they want to get him out as quickly as possible, we could work that out tomorrow.”
The statements notably came after Abrego Garcia filed notice with the government that his preferred destination for deportation was Costa Rica, which came after his attorneys included a letter from the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, which confirmed Abrego Garcia would be granted refugee or residency status in that country.
Deported in March by the Trump administration, the citizen of El Salvador later obtained a ruling demanding the Trump administration facilitate his return. Abrego Garcia was returned to Tennessee in June, after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unsealed the indictment accusing him of being part of a human smuggling ring for nearly a decade.
The federal human smuggling case against Abrego Garcia stems from his November 2022 traffic stop by Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), which The Tennessee Star first reported in April. A spokesman for THP later told The Star that troopers were instructed to release Abrego Garcia by the “Biden-era FBI,” and a U.S. Department of Homeland Security document later showed troopers suspected human trafficking.
Abrego Garcia has since pleaded not guilty to the charges. His case is expected to reach trial in January 2026.
Watch Sandoval-Moshenberg’s full remarks:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
