Washington D.C.- Less than a day after regaining his freedom, Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García is once again staring at an uncertain future.
U.S. authorities have informed the 30-year-old that he may be deported—not to his home country or even Costa Rica, but to Uganda, a nation with which he has no ties.
Ábrego’s lawyers say the move is a thinly veiled attempt to pressure him into pleading guilty to human smuggling charges. They argue that prosecutors dangled a plea deal last week that would have sent him to Costa Rica with refugee status. When he refused, they say, the government responded with the Uganda option.
“The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Ábrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat,” his attorneys wrote in a new court filing.
A Life Marked by Flight and Legal Battles
Ábrego’s story is complex, stretching back to when he fled El Salvador at just 16 after gangs began targeting his family.
He settled in Maryland with his brother, a U.S. citizen, and built a life with his partner, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their children.
But in 2019, his troubles with U.S. authorities began after police detained him outside a Home Depot on a tip suggesting gang involvement. No charges were filed, but he was handed over to immigration officials. While an immigration judge blocked his deportation on safety grounds, Ábrego’s asylum claim was denied.
His saga escalated in 2020 when the Trump administration deported him to El Salvador despite a standing order protecting him. He was placed in a maximum-security prison before the U.S. admitted to the error and arranged his return.
Criminal Charges Add New Layer
In 2022, federal prosecutors accused Ábrego of human smuggling after a traffic stop in Tennessee revealed he was transporting nine passengers. He pleaded not guilty, insisting the case is a politically motivated attempt to brand him as a criminal.
By June this year, a Tennessee judge ruled him eligible for release, but his legal team warned that freedom would expose him to deportation risks. Their fears appear justified: within hours of leaving custody last week, Ábrego was told he could be sent to Uganda.
Uganda in the Picture
The U.S. has bilateral deportation agreements with both Honduras and Uganda as part of its immigration crackdown. Uganda’s foreign ministry confirmed it accepts transfers under strict conditions, mainly for African nationals and excluding those with criminal records.
“Uganda also prefers that individuals from African countries shall be the ones transferred to Uganda,” said Bagiire Vincent Waiswa, the ministry’s permanent secretary.
Why Ábrego, a Salvadoran with no Ugandan links, is now being considered for deportation there remains unclear.
What’s Next
Ábrego’s attorneys say he has until Monday morning to accept the Costa Rica plea deal, after which it will be “off the table forever.”
He is scheduled to appear before an immigration court in Baltimore the same day, where a judge will decide whether deportation proceedings move forward.
For now, the father of three remains in Maryland with his family—caught once again between freedom, legal limbo, and the threat of being shipped halfway across the world.
