Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was released from federal custody on Friday after being wrongfully deported to El Salvador and separated from his family for over five months, has once again been detained—this time during a routine immigration check-in on Monday. During this appointment, Abrego Garcia was taken into ICE custody. According to his attorney, Abrego now faces deportation to Uganda, a country with which he has no apparent connection.
The move has shocked and outraged immigrant rights advocates, especially in light of the recent wrongful deportation to El Salvador, which ICE has yet to publicly explain. The latest detention raises even more questions about how the agency is handling Abrego’s case—and whether due process is being ignored.
“This is not just bureaucratic negligence. This is cruelty,” said Abrego’s attorney. “He was just reunited with his children after months of unlawful separation, and now ICE is not only detaining him again, but attempting to deport him to an entirely different country—Uganda—where he has no family, no history, and no ties.”
The basis for the deportation to Uganda remains unclear. Abrego was born in Central America and has lived in the United States for over a decade. His legal team is currently investigating whether ICE’s claim is based on a clerical error, mistaken identity, or another misclassification.
The back-to-back detentions and shifting claims about his nationality have sparked calls for immediate congressional oversight. Civil rights groups argue that the actions taken against Abrego represent a systemic failure that could endanger other immigrants caught in similar circumstances.
“This is what happens when there is no accountability,” said a member of the National Immigrant Justice Network. “How many more times will Kilmar be wrongfully detained or deported before someone intervenes?”
Abrego’s family, still reeling from his 160-day absence after the mistaken El Salvador deportation, is calling on ICE to release him immediately and halt any removal proceedings. His youngest daughter, 8, reportedly asked her mother Monday night: “Why did they take Daddy again?”
As his legal team prepares an emergency appeal, supporters are organizing a vigil and rally in front of the local ICE field office this week. A petition demanding Abrego’s release and protection from deportation has already garnered thousands of signatures in less than 24 hours.
“This isn’t just about Kilmar,” said Estrada. “This is about a system that punishes people for following the rules and refuses to correct its own mistakes.” Such cases, where individuals like Abrego Garcia are unexpectedly taken into ICE custody, highlight the pressing need for reform.
ICE has not yet issued a public statement regarding the latest developments in Abrego’s case.
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