A U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney reportedly confirmed in court on Monday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be deported as early as Friday, if Obama-appointed District Court Judge Paula Xinis lifts her August injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from deporting the alleged human smuggler.
After Abrego Garcia’s attorneys claimed that the Trump administration was preparing to deport Abrego Garcia as early as Friday, DOJ attorney Jonathan David Guynn reportedly told Xinis their claim was accurate, but clarified that DHS would simply move quickly to deport Abrego Garcia if Xinis lifts her August 25 injunction.
The DOJ first informed Xinis last week that it had identified Liberia as the latest nation where it would seek to deport Abrego Garcia, confirming that the country was willing to take him.
Though the DOJ filing stated Liberia provided assurances about how he would be treated, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys last week notified the court that their client expressed fear of persecution or torture in Liberia, necessitating an interview with federal immigration officials, and potentially a ruling by a federal immigration judge.
One reporter said that Xinis voiced concern after learning that Abrego Garcia’s interview was scheduled for Monday, during the same period as her Monday hearing, but Guynn reportedly clarified that the interview was scheduled for later in the day.
Guynn also told Xinis that DHS would “move forward” with its plans to deport Abrego Garcia even if the federal human smuggling case against him remains unresolved when Xinis either lifts her injunction or issues a final order in the civil immigration lawsuit.
The criminal case against Abrego Garcia stems from the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) traffic stop of the vehicle he was driving on November 30, 2022, which The Tennessee Star reported in April. A spokesman for THP later told The Star that Abrego Garcia was released at the instruction of the “Biden-era FBI,” despite a DHS document showing troopers suspected human trafficking.
Deported to El Salvador under contested circumstances in March, Abrego Garcia was returned to Tennessee in June, when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi unsealed the criminal indictment accusing him of spending nearly a decade embroiled in a human smuggling ring.
He has pleaded not guilty, and his case is currently scheduled to reach trial in January 2026.
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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].
send this guy away, far out of US. Enough of the stall job.
What a disgusting mess. How much taxpayer money has been literally wasted on this illegal? Any is too much.