Immigrant Faces Plea Deal Pressure, Threat of Deportation to Uganda

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, pictured at right, was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday and has since rejoined his family in Maryland.

Lawyers representing Mr. Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was previously deported to El Salvador and later returned, have accused the Trump administration of attempting to coerce him into pleading guilty in his criminal case. They allege the administration threatened to re-deport him to Uganda if he did not accept a plea deal. According to a filing in Federal District Court in Nashville, prosecutors initially offered a deal where Mr. Abrego Garcia would be deported to Costa Rica if he pleaded guilty to charges related to a smuggling conspiracy. The offer included assurances that he could live freely in Costa Rica.

However, after Mr. Abrego Garcia was released from custody, the administration reportedly changed its approach. The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security informed the lawyers that if Mr. Abrego Garcia did not accept the plea deal by Monday morning, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would begin the process of deporting him to Uganda. The lawyers argued that this was an attempt to force their client to choose between a guilty plea and deportation to a country where his safety and liberty would be at risk. A Justice Department spokesman, however, stated that Mr. Abrego Garcia posed a danger to the community, citing the human trafficking and smuggling charges against him. The spokesman said Mr. Abrego Garcia could choose to plead guilty or stand trial, without mentioning the potential deportation to Uganda.

The lawyers had previously accused the Trump administration of filing an indictment against Mr. Abrego Garcia in retaliation for his legal challenges to his deportation. The recent filing was submitted as a supplement to that motion, requesting the judge to dismiss the entire case.

The future of the case remains uncertain. If Mr. Abrego Garcia refuses to plead guilty, prosecutors may dismiss the charges before deporting him again. If ICE proceeds with the threat to deport him to Uganda, his lawyers are likely to file a new lawsuit. The actions taken by the Trump administration over the past five months suggest a primary goal of resolving a legal and political issue that has caused them difficulties.