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Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the lawyers of illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia that he may be deported to Uganda after he was released from jail in Tennessee on Friday, Fox News has learned.
ICE and Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by Fox News showed that ICE notified Abrego Garcia’s lawyers that he may be deported to Uganda in “no less than 72 hours” and must check in with any agent at the ICE office in Baltimore on Monday.
This comes after Uganda reached a deal with the U.S. to accept third-party deportations.
Following his release from a Tennessee jail on Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes placed Abrego Garcia in his brother’s custody as a third-party custodian ahead of trial. He must wear an electronic monitoring device, check in with Pretrial Services in Maryland and report there no later than 10 a.m. on Monday.
ABREGO GARCIA RELEASED FROM JAIL, WILL RETURN TO MARYLAND TO AWAIT TRIAL
Kilmar Abrego Garcia walks after he was released from the Putnam County Jail in Cookville, Tennessee. (Reuters)
Abrego Garica was first deported to El Salvador earlier this year for being a suspected MS-13 member despite an immigration court in 2019 granting him protected status over the risk he would be targeted by gangs.
He was brought back to the U.S. in June and placed in federal custody in Tennessee on human smuggling charges after a 2022 traffic stop resurfaced.
Court filings later revealed the investigation began while he was jailed in El Salvador, raising questions about how the probe was conducted. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
JUDGE SETS STRICT CONDITIONS FOR ABREGO GARCIA’S RELEASE AS TRUMP OFFICIALS PURSUE CASE AGAINST HIM
Kilmar Abrego Garcia may be deported to Uganda after his release from jail in Tennessee. (Getty Images)
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland, who is overseeing Abrego Garcia’s civil lawsuit challenging the legality of his deportation, has instructed federal officials to give his lawyers 72 hours notice before beginning deportation proceedings to allow them the opportunity to file a challenge.
Abrego Garcia’s case sparked national attention this year after the Trump administration initially refused to bring him back from El Salvador, despite acknowledging in court filings that his deportation was an “administrative error.”
His detention in the South American country sparked visits from U.S. lawmakers, notably Sen. Chris van Hollen, D-Md.
Uganda reached a deal with the U.S. to accept third-party deportations. (Getty Images)
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His release on Friday was met with public frustration by Trump administration officials.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem purported that Abrego Garcia is a criminal and a violator of immigration law, describing him as a “monster” released by “activist liberal judges” after he was released on Friday.
“We will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country,” Noem wrote on X.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Breanne Deppisch and Ashley Oliver, and Reuters contributed to this report.