Maryland judge orders emergency hearing in case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Maryland judge orders emergency hearing in case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
This is a new update on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. On Friday, the Department of Justice told Maryland Judge Paula Xinis that they are prepared to remove him to Liberia as early as this week. Today, she ordered an emergency hearing to remind the government that he's not going anywhere for now. FOX 5’s Chief Legal Correspondent Katie Barlow has the latest from Greenbelt tonight.
WASHINGTON - There is a new update on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
What happened:
On Friday, the Department of Justice told Maryland Judge Paula Xinis that they are prepared to remove him to Liberia as early as this week.
On Monday, she ordered an emergency hearing to remind the government that he's not going anywhere for now.
Judge Xinis held an emergency hearing at 2:00 p.m. in part to remind the government that she has temporarily forbidden the Trump administration from removing Kilmar Abrego Garcia outside the continental United States.
DOJ says that they have received diplomatic assurances from the African nation of Liberia regarding the treatment of third-country individuals removed there.
Expert opinion:
"I mean, diplomatic assurances are very vague to me, and my main concern would be," family immigration lawyer Anna Tijerina said. "Getting assurance from Liberia that Liberia is not going to deport him again back to El Salvador, because there's nothing stopping them from that and that's been my fear from the very beginning, from anybody being removed to a third country, that there are no assurances that that third country is not going to remove him back to their country of nationality."
Xinis echoed those concerns during Monday's 30-minute hearing regarding Abrego Garcia's request to be released from custody in the United States.
She requested that the government provide her with documentation about the assurances Liberia has made. She was once again exasperated with DOJ officials.
At one point, she asked why they were continuing to use resources to discuss potential removal to a now fourth African nation when Abrego Garcia has already agreed to be removed to Costa Rica, and Costa Rica has agreed to take him.
Dig deeper:
Drew Ensign, on behalf of said leadership, has chosen to move forward with removal to Liberia.
Ensign also said the government would abide by Xinis' current order, barring the government from removing Abrego Garcia from the continental United States, but DOJ says it is prepared to remove him almost immediately if and when Xinis lifts that order.
All of this comes as DOJ officials are expected to testify in Tennessee next week in defense Abrego Garcia's claims that he is facing vindictive prosecution.
He continues to face criminal charges for human smuggling. In response to questions from the judge about whether the DOJ is concerned that deporting him would mean dropping the criminal case, DOJ said that the criminal case would not be an impediment to removing Abrego Garcia from the country.