Kilmar Ábrego Garcia returns to federal court to fight a second deportation, this time to Liberia

From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026.

Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is back in federal court on Tuesday as the Trump administration pushes to deport him to Liberia, 18 months after his erroneous removal to El Salvador triggered a national immigration row. The government is seeking to lift a preliminary injunction by Judge Paula Xinis that has so far blocked ICE from sending him to the West African country. His legal team is fighting to make that injunction permanent.

Ábrego Garcia argues he should be sent to Costa Rica, which has already agreed to take him, not Liberia.

ICE's former acting director argued in a March 2026 memo that deporting him to Costa Rica would be 'prejudicial to the United States' after resources were spent negotiating with Liberia.

Activist group We Are CASA accused the government of punishing Ábrego Garcia 'for pursuing his constitutional rights' by insisting on Liberia over Costa Rica.