Kilmar Abrego Garcia Summoned by ICE, Faces Possible Deportation to Uganda

Baltimore, MD (August 25, 2025) - Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the 30-year-old El Salvadoran national whose wrongful deportation in March became a centerpiece of debate over U.S. immigration policy, was ordered to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Baltimore on Monday and now faces the prospect of being deported to Uganda.

Abrego Garcia was released from criminal custody in Tennessee on Friday after spending more than five months behind bars on human smuggling charges. Less than 24 hours later, ICE notified his attorneys that, having rejected a plea offer that would have sent him to Costa Rica in exchange for admitting guilt, he could be transferred to Uganda - a country he has never visited and where he does not speak the language - unless he accepts the Costa Rican deal by first thing Monday morning.

According to his defense team, ICE’s ultimatum leverages a deadline tied to his mandated check-in at the Baltimore Field Office. Abrego Garcia declined to comment on whether he would accept the plea agreement; his lawyers have filed motions arguing that the administration’s shifting deportation strategies amount to “vindictive and selective prosecution” in retaliation for his challenge to the earlier erroneous removal.

In July, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to restore Abrego Garcia to supervised release under ICE’s Baltimore Office, prohibiting immediate transfer to ICE custody without notice. However, Xinis also acknowledged that ICE may initiate lawful immigration proceedings, including detention and removal, if proper procedural safeguards are met.

Advocates have organized a prayer vigil outside the Baltimore office at 11:00 GMT, one hour before Abrego Garcia’s scheduled check-in, to protest the potential removal to Uganda and to call for humane treatment. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has publicly characterized him as a dangerous offender and supported aggressive removal tactics, while immigration rights groups warn that deportation to Uganda could expose him to severe human rights abuses.

• (Reporting by Reuters; additional reporting ABC News)