Kilmar Abrego Garcia Slams 'Corrupt Government' As He Is Chained By Immigration Authorities

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, could be heard slamming the Trump administration as a "corrupt government" while being escorted by immigration authorities in chains.

Abrego Garcia's case is dominating headlines as the Trump administration seeks to deport him to Uganda, but a federal judge has temporarily blocked the effort. He has also filed a lawsuit challenging the detention and potential deportation, be it to Uganda or "any other country" until being granted a trial.

Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said on Monday that he would fight "tooth and nail against any form of deportation.

"It is preposterous that they would send him to Africa, to a country where he doesn't even speak the language, a country with documented human rights violations, when there are so many other options," he told press.

Abrego Garcia had rejected an offer to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges, for which he was detained in Tennessee for a month.

Costa Rican authorities said they would not detain Abrego Garcia upon arrival to the country, and Sandoval Moshenger seemingly suggested the option might not be unfavorable. "It's a Spanish speaking country. It's proximate to the United States. His family can visit him there easily."

Abrego Garcia, a longtime Maryland resident, was deported to El Salvador in March in violation of a 2019 immigration court order that protected him from removal to that country due to a credible fear of persecution.

The government described the March deportation earlier this week as a "one-off mistake" despite previously claiming it had been deliberate.

His legal team detailed the abuse he allegedly endured during a three-week detention at El Salvador's CECOT prison, including being ordered to kneel for nine hours straight and prevented from going to the bathroom.

Abrego Garcia has denied any gang affiliation, including to MS-13, and pleaded not guilty to the smuggling charges. He spent the weekend with his family after six months of incarceration following his release on parole. "Today has been a very special day because I have seen my family for the first time in more than 160 days," he said in a statement on Friday.