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Federal judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can’t be re-detained by immigration authorities
A federal judge ruled ICE cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia after the 90-day limit expired and no viable deportation plan exists, citing failed attempts to deport him to multiple countries.
- On Tuesday, Feb 17, 2026, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia due to a lack of a workable deportation plan within the detention period.
- Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year despite facing danger there and was returned to the U.S. federal court before his Dec. 12, 2025 release.
- The judge criticized the government for ignoring Costa Rica's offer and pursuing removal to Uganda, Eswatini, Ghana, and Liberia, with officials feigning ignorance about their plan.
- The court may convert the temporary injunction on rearrest into a permanent order or dissolve it, and the government has until Friday to clarify its plans for Petitioner Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.
- As a result, the case has become central to immigration debates, constraining ICE's detention power without realistic removal plans and spotlighting the Tennessee criminal case, which may be vindictive.
182 Articles
182 Articles
The White House pressured Kilmar Ábrego García to accept voluntary deportation to Costa Rica or to be transferred to destinations such as Uganda, Esuati, Ghana or Liberia.
Obama judge rules ICE can't detain 'Maryland Man' again · American Wire News
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has issued a ruling protecting Kilmar Abrego Garcia. U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis accused President Donald Trump’s administration of attempting to “rewrite the history of this case” and barred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from placing Abrego Garcia back in immigration detention. “Xinis said that although all parties had agreed to a retroactive correction of the reco…
Federal judge Paula Xinis closed the door, at least for now, to a new arrest attempt against Kilmar Abrego García. In a clear and blunt order, she determined that the 90-day legal deadline to keep him in custody had already expired and that the government did not have a realistic deportation plan, an indispensable condition to justify immigration detention in accordance with the law. The ruling that leaves ICE without a legal basisXinis was forc…
MichaelSavage.com – Obama-Appointed Judge Rules ICE Can’t Re-Detain Illegal Alien Kilmar Abrego-Garcia
Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, an illegal alien from El Salvador facing human smuggling charges.Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, has long been on the radar of U.S. law enforcement for his affiliations with the notorious MS-13 gang, also known as Mara Salvatrucha.…
A federal judge on Tuesday, in a continuation of a high-profile case, prohibited the US government from re-detaining Salvadoran immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying that the 90-day legal deadline for doing so has expired and the government does not have a viable plan for his deportation, US media reported.
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