U.S. Immigration Judge David M. Jones granted Kilmar Abrego Garcia in 2019 a “withholding of removal” order after, claiming the risk the citizen of El Salvador would face persecution at the hands of Central American gang Barrio 18 was too high for him to be deported to Guatemala, according to the text of the order. However, Abrego Garcia has maintained the order applied to El Salvador.
Though concerns related to the presence of Barrio 18 were enough for Jones to issue the “withholding of removal,” the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections last year released a Salvadoran national, Brayan Eleazar Angulo-Barrios, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who reported it filed a request to detain him in April 2024.
Read the full story