Kilmar Abrego Garcia asks court to bar federal officials from making ‘inflammatory’ statements

Lawyers of Kilmar Abrego Garcia say he wants to seek asylum in US

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's lawyers are arguing he has a right to seek asylum in the United States after being detained Monday in Baltimore by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON - Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia are asking a federal court to issue an order barring officials from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security from making public statements they say could jeopardize his right to a fair trial.

Court documents released

According to court documents, Abrego’s defense attorneys argue that officials, including those from the White House, have made "numerous highly prejudicial, inflammatory, and false statements" in the media.

Abrego’s legal team is requesting that the court prohibit all DOJ and DHS personnel involved in the case, including Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, from making "extrajudicial comments" that could influence the proceedings.

The motion also asks the court to order the government to detail what steps it has taken to comply with a prior order requiring all counsel follow the rule that "requires prosecutors to "discourage investigators, law enforcement personnel, and other persons assisting or associated with the prosecutor in a criminal matter" from making prejudicial public statements."

READ MORE: Kilmar Abrego Garcia surrenders to ICE custody in Baltimore

New video shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia in ICE custody

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in ICE custody after being detained Monday morning in Baltimore. New video shows him in federal custody. He is being held at a detention facility in Virginia.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia latest

Abrego Garcia, charged with human smuggling, was released last week from a Tennessee jail. Just days later, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him in Baltimore, announcing plans to deport him to Uganda.

Abrego Garcia is seeking asylum in the United States. The Trump administration alleges he is affiliated with the MS-13 gang, a claim he denies, and says it intends to remove him from the country.

His attorneys argue the move would be punishment for his successful fight against deportation to El Salvador, his refusal to plead guilty to the smuggling charges, and his efforts to secure release from custody.

READ MORE: Warner on Abrego Garcia deportation case: ‘America is a better country than this’