Kilmar Abrego, the migrant whose wrongful deportation to El Salvador made him a symbol of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, is facing another deportation threat. If he pleads guilty to charges of transporting migrants living in the US illegally, he may be deported to Costa Rica. However, if he refuses to cooperate, he will face deportation to Uganda.
Abrego was released from criminal custody on Friday after being detained for over five months. He had been brought back to the US after being mistakenly sent to El Salvador and faced charges of transporting migrants who live in the US without authorization.
Abrego’s lawyers have accused the administration of using a carrot-and-stick approach to try to coerce him into pleading guilty. They claim that the offer of deportation to Costa Rica is an attempt to get Abrego to plead guilty, while deportation to Uganda would be a threat of retaliation for opposing the earlier removal to El Salvador.
A US district judge has barred the government from removing Abrego without due process. The judge expressed concerns that the government had not offered assurances that Abrego would not be imprisoned in Uganda or sent back to El Salvador.
Abrego’s lawyers have asked the court to prevent him from being deported again without proper due process. They argue that the administration’s handling of the case is a breach of constitutional rights and amounts to retribution for opposing earlier removal efforts.
The case has sparked widespread concern among immigrant rights advocates, who see it as an example of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration policies.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/wrongly-deported-migrant-abrego-detained-again-may-be-sent-uganda-2025-08-25