Judge extends DOJ deadline in Abrego Garcia deportation case
On Wednesday, a federal judge gave the Department of Justice another week to provide information about his deportation efforts. Illegal immigration suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia has returned to the US
US District Judge Paula Sinis granted the Department of Justice a seven-day stay until April 30th, providing testimony and documents related to the incident that led to a sharp medieval between Democrats and Republicans.
Deputy Attorney General Drew Ensign filed a sealed motion requesting a stay, and Abrego Garcia’s lawyers filed a response in opposition to the government’s allegation to suspend the order. It was sealed in federal court in Maryland.
Xinis did not explain her legal reasoning, but wrote that it was made “with agreement of the parties.”
White House photos show how political parties stand in immigrants amid Abrego Garcia’s deportation
Kilmer Abrego Garcia from the El Salvador mega Prison, “Center of Terrorism Confinement” (CECOT).
The administration was also seeking relief from having to submit daily updates, but Xinis’ stay did not change that requirement.
The order came a day after Xinis blows up in written submissions to ignore her order by refusing to provide daily status updates regarding the case, saying that Sinis was acting “malicious” by obstructing the legal process.
“That’s over now,” said Xinis, who was nominated for the bench by the former president. Barack Obama.
“For weeks, the defendants have been seeking evacuation behind vague, unfounded claims of privilege, and will use them as shields to interfere with discovery and avoid compliance with this court order,” Xinis wrote in an eight-page order. “The defendants know that since at least last week, this court has been demanding certain legal and de facto shows to support claims of privilege. But they continue to rely on boilerplate claims.”
Jennifer, Kilmer Abrego Garcia’s wife, will cry when Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoke at a press conference held at Dulles International Airport, Virginia on April 18, 2025. (Pete Key Heart of the Washington Post via Getty Images)
She gave government until 6pm on Wednesday, providing daily status updates.
The US claims much of the information is protected because it includes state secrets, government deliberations and client privileges of lawyers. However, Xinis refused to debate and called for the Trump administration to provide concrete justification for each claim of privileged information.
Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported last month by the Trump administration. The Trump administration says he is a member of the MS-13 gang, who violently beat his wife. President Donald Trump has declared MS-13 a terrorist organization and is about to deport all members of the violent gang.
This shows that Paula Sinis is still testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee from the July 22nd, 2015 video. (US Senate Judiciary Committee)
Last week, Trump showed a photo of Abrego Garcia’s hands, showing that the president said he was a gang tattoo. Abrego Garcia was handed over by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper on December 1, 2022, and was suspected of participating in human smuggling as there were eight individuals in a bagless SUV. Abrego Garcia has never been charged with a crime.
Abrego Garcia, whose lawyers have denied him as a gang member, was deported to El Salvador’s Megaprison Centre for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) last month, and confirmed in court that his deportation was an administrative error. But now some Trump’s top officials say he was taken away correctly, claiming he is a member of the infamous MS-13 gang.
He lived in Maryland with his wife and children.
President Donald Trump of the Oval Office has a photo of Abrego Garcia’s Knuckles tattoos, which the White House says is partnering with the MS-13 terrorist group. (Donald Trump Truth Social)
Ministry of Justice Last week, they released a document detailing allegations of domestic violence that Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez, created a place that accused her of behaviour.
Defendant “Maryland Man” was pulled over a driving car belonging to a deported human smuggler
Both the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have ordered the Trump administration to “promote” his release and return to the United States for appropriate deportation procedures.
Abrego Garcia illegally entered the United States in 2011 and was issued an expelling order in 2019. Two previous judges found that he is likely to partner with MS-13.
One immigration judge in 2019 found that Garcia was removable outside of El Salvador due to threats from rival gangs because he had not fully rebutted the evidence of MS-13 affiliation. This is called a withholding tax order.
The Supreme Court has admitted that Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order banning removal from El Salvador, and that the removal to El Salvador was “illegal.” The court emphasized that the government must promote release from custody in El Salvador and handle his case as if he had not been deported.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia meets with Senator Van. (x/@chrisvanhollen)
White House Deputy Director Stephen Miller said last week that when Trump declared violent gangs a terrorist organization, Abrego Garcia is no longer eligible for US immigration relief.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Abrego Garcia will not be allowed to return to the United States unless El Salvador decides otherwise. “He’s not back in our country.”
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The incident created national headlines and attracted wedges between Democrats and Republicans.
Senator Chris Van Hollen, D-MD.followed by another group of Democrats traveling to the Central American state after meeting Abrego Garcia to promote US Van Hollen’s return to travel, whom he said had been paid by taxpayers. Those parties included Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Yassamine Ansari of Arizona, and Maxine Dexter of Oregon.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner and the Associated Press contributed to this report.