Judge James Boasberg said the U.S. denied due process to the Venezuelan men it deported to a prison in El Salvador after President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
The relatives of eight Salvadorans who died in a fiery crash of a semitrailer and a van in Georgia struggled to wrap their minds around the tragedy on Wednesday as they hoped that the bodies of their lost loved ones would soon be repatriated to the Central American nation.
The detention, which was expected, happened after Abrego Garcia walked into the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Baltimore for a check-in after being released from custody on Friday.
The case of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man originally from El Salvador, raised basic questions of due process in Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants after he was arrested and sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador, violating a U.S. immigration judge's 2019 order prohibiting his deportation to his home country.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's party approved constitutional changes in the country's National Assembly that allow indefinite presidential reelection and extend presidential terms to six years.
Deported under a little-known wartime law, more than 130 Venezuelans were sent from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Now released, several tell NPR they endured beatings, sexual abuse, and near-total isolation.
El Salvador's most prominent human rights group says it's been forced into exile, citing threats and harassment from the government of President Nayib Bukele.
Abrego Garcia faces criminal charges for allegedly transporting migrants without legal status around the country, according to a Justice Department indictment.
Human rights groups have called for the immediate release of Ruth López, whose whereabouts are unknown since her arrest by police in El Salvador late Sunday.
Bukele had announced that all bus fares for a week would be completely free due to construction the government was carrying out on one of the main highways running through San Salvador.
The week was dominated by news about the Maryland man illegally deported to El Salvador. But there was also concern over tariffs and Robert F. Kennedy's work as Health and Human Services secretary.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen went to El Salvador to lobby for the release of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, whose deportation has gripped the U.S. He isn't the only lawmaker with such a trip in mind.
