Federal Court Standoff: Controversy Over Abrego Garcia's Deported Status

A federal judge temporarily halted an order requiring the Trump administration to disclose efforts to retrieve Kilmar Abrego Garcia, mistakenly deported to El Salvador. The judge criticized the administration for unwillingness to comply, insisting on disclosure despite claims of privilege. Abrego Garcia lived in the US for 14 years before deportation.

A federal judge has temporarily stopped an order demanding the Trump administration disclose its actions to retrieve Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man wrongfully deported to El Salvador. In Maryland federal court, Judge Paula Xinis granted a temporary stay but kept the daily updates requirement intact, without explaining her decision.

Abrego Garcia, reputed to have lived in the US for 14 years, faces precarious conditions back in El Salvador due to local gangs. Despite his lawyers showing prior rulings preventing deportation, the administration claimed administrative errors, citing questionable gang affiliations that Garcia strongly denies.

This dispute highlights a broader struggle between judiciary and executive authority, with past rulings standing at odds with Trump officials' deportation tactics. Legal experts argue this is part of a larger constitutional crisis, while the administration deflects blame to the judiciary.

(With inputs from agencies.)