Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national who became one of the faces of President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown, is reportedly set to be deported to the tiny southern African country of Eswatini.
According to CNN, the Trump administration informed Garcia about the planned deportation on Friday.
Newsweek contacted Garcia’s attorney, the Department of Homeland Security and the Eswatini Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for comment via email on Saturday outside regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Trump won the 2024 presidential election with a pledge to crack down on irregular migration to the United States, and according to the Pew Research Center, the number of immigrants in the country has fallen for the first time since the 1960s.
In March, the U.S. deported Garcia to CECOT, a high-security prison in El Salvador, in what the Trump administration said was an administrative error. In June, the government returned Garcia to the U.S., and he is now awaiting trial on federal human trafficking charges, which he denies. His case has raised concerns over the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants.
What To Know
On Saturday, CNN reported that it had obtained an email sent to Garcia from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official that said he would be deported to Eswatini.
The southern Africa country is about the size of New Jersey and is ruled as an absolute monarchy.
Previously, the Department of Homeland Security told Garcia it planned to send him to Uganda. Garcia objected to the move, saying he feared being persecuted or tortured, and U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis temporarily blocked his deportation.
The department maintains that Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which Trump designated a terrorist organization in January. Garcia and his family have consistently denied this allegation.
When CNN asked whether Garcia would be deported to Eswatini, an ICE official replied: “TRUE: An immigration judge ordered him removed and ICE will comply with that order.”
In August, Garcia’s legal team said the Trump administration offered to deport him to Costa Rica, which offered him legal status, but only if he pleaded guilty to the human trafficking charges.
Citing a “source familiar with his case,” CNN reported that Garcia did not accept the officer.
The Trump administration has signed agreements with Eswatini, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan to receive deportees from the U.S.
What People Are Saying
The Department of Homeland Security wrote in its email to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, referencing his fear of being persecuted if sent to Uganda, per CNN: “That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries.
“Nonetheless, we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa.”
The department wrote on X on August 25: “Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not and will never be a Maryland Man—he is a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and public safety threat. It is insane that sanctuary politicians chose to glorify and stand with an MS-13 gang member over the safety of American citizens. @POTUS Trump and @Sec_Noem are not going to allow this illegal alien—who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator—to terrorize American citizens any longer.”
What Happens Next
Garcia’s lawyers could launch a bid to stop him from being deported to Eswatini, as they did when he was due to be sent to Uganda. His case is likely to continue attracting widespread attention as the Trump administration attempts to carry out its deportation policy in the face of some judicial opposition.
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