Trump Administration Threatens to Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda Amid Legal Battle
Washington, August 24, 2025 – The hashtag #KilmarAbregoGarcia is trending on X as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant, to Uganda, following his release from a Tennessee jail on August 22, 2025. The move, detailed in court filings on August 23, has sparked widespread outrage and accusations of vindictive prosecution, with Garcia’s attorneys alleging the administration is coercing him into pleading guilty to human smuggling charges by threatening deportation to a country he has no ties to.
Garcia, a Maryland resident and father, was illegally deported to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison in March 2025, despite a 2019 immigration judge’s order protecting him from deportation to his home country due to fears of gang persecution. After a Supreme Court order and public pressure, he was returned to the U.S. in June, only to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, which he denies. On Thursday, August 21, federal prosecutors offered Garcia a plea deal: plead guilty and be deported to Costa Rica, where he could live freely as a refugee, or face deportation to Uganda if he refused. Garcia declined to remain in jail, leading to his release on Friday and a swift notification from ICE that he must report to their Baltimore field office on Monday, August 25, for potential deportation to Uganda.
The threat to deport Garcia to Uganda, a country recently agreeing to accept U.S. deportees without criminal records, has drawn sharp criticism on X. “Deporting Kilmar to Uganda is pure retaliation. He’s no criminal, just a man fighting for his family. #KilmarAbregoGarcia,” one user posted. Another called it “a new low for Trump’s immigration agenda,” citing concerns over Uganda’s human rights record, including harsh prison conditions. Garcia’s attorneys argue the move is a coercive tactic to punish him for challenging his initial wrongful deportation, with one filing stating, “The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are forcing Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea or rendition to Uganda, where his safety would be under threat.”
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has doubled down, labeling Garcia an MS-13 gang member and “monster,” claims his legal team and federal judges have dismissed as unsubstantiated. The controversy has galvanized both supporters and critics, with #KilmarAbregoGarcia trending alongside calls for justice and transparency in Trump’s immigration crackdown.