Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a longtime legal resident of the United States, was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025, despite a court order that should have protected him from removal. His case quickly drew national attention, sparking bipartisan criticism of the Trump administration over what many are calling a major immigration misstep. As questions swirl about how such an error occurred, many are also asking: why was Abrego Garcia detained in the first place—and what led to his controversial deportation?
Here’s everything to know about his case, including why Abrego Garcia was deported, where he is now, and more updates.
Who Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?
Abrego Garcia is a 30-year-old El Salvadoran citizen and a legal Maryland resident. Up until March 2025, he was living in the state legally.
In 2011, Abrego Garcia immigrated to the U.S. as an undocumented resident when he was 16 years old. In 2019, he was arrested on suspicion of being associated with a gang — despite there being no evidence to back up the accusation. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, and an immigration judge granted him “withholding of removal” status, which ensures that an individual can legally live and work in the U.S. if there is a safety threat against them in their native country.
Per CNN, the judge found that a gang in El Salvador was “targeting [Abrego Garcia] and threatening him with death because of his family’s pupusa business.”
In March 2025, amid the Trump administration’s strict immigration rulings, Abrego Garcia was arrested by U.S. officials and immediately deported on a plane headed for El Salvador.
A federal judge is giving the Trump administration two weeks to hand over information on what it has done to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to facilitate the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to an El Salvadoran prison. pic.twitter.com/WBlJ4LZylx
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 16, 2025
Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia Married?
Yes, Abrego Garcia is married to his wife, U.S. citizen Jennifer Vasquez Sura. Since her husband’s deportation, Sura has publicly advocated for his release.
“Today is 34 days after his disappearance, and I stand before you filled with a spirit that refuses to bring down,” she said in April 2025, per Rolling Stone. “I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive. … Enough is enough. My family can’t be robbed of another day without seeing Kilmar. This administration has already taken so much from my children, from Kilmar’s mother, brother, sisters, and me.”
Abrego Garcia’s wife: “I will not stop fighting until I see my husband alive. Kilmar, if you can hear me, stay strong. God hasn’t forgotten about you. Our children are asking when you will come home … they miss their dad so much.” pic.twitter.com/2CQEorVt0o
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 15, 2025
Does Kilmar Abrego Garcia Have Children?
Yes, Abrego Garcia is a father of three children, two of whom are from a previous relationship of Sura’s and live with disabilities and special needs; one child has epilepsy and another lives with autism, according to a declaration Sura filed over Abrego Garcia’s legal issues. The spouses share one biological child together.
While speaking in public one month after her husband’s deportation, Sura spoke directly to Abrego Garcia, saying, “Kilmar, if you can hear me, stay strong. God hasn’t forgotten about you. Our children are asking, ‘When will you come home?’ And I pray for the day I tell them the time and date that you will return.”
“As we continue through holy week, my heart aches for my husband,” she continued. “Who should have been here leading our Easter prayers — instead, I find myself pleading with the Trump administration and the Bukele administration to stop playing political games with the life of Kilmar.”
Where Is Kilmar Abrego Garcia?
As of June 6, 2025, Abrego Garcia is back in U.S. custody. He was returned from El Salvador to face federal charges related to human smuggling. He was previously in a mega-prison known as CECOT (Center for Terrorism Confinement) in El Salvador.
Why Was Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported?
Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March 2025 in what the Trump administration later described as an “administrative error.” Although Abrego Garcia had been a legal U.S. resident since 2011 and was protected by a 2019 court order against deportation, he was removed from the country after being accused, without publicly disclosed evidence, of alleged ties to the MS-13 gang.
The situation escalated during a mid-April meeting between President Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. When asked by a reporter whether he would return Abrego Garcia to the United States, Bukele called him a “terrorist” and claimed he would not “smuggle” him out of El Salvador. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that stance, stating, “He is not coming back to our country.”
Abrego Garcia’s family and legal team have strongly denied the gang allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. His legal representatives, along with supporters, argued that the deportation violated both domestic and international legal standards.
Despite the Trump administration’s refusal to repatriate him, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his removal was unlawful. The Court rejected the administration’s claim that it had no authority to compel El Salvador to cooperate, and instead ordered the White House to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return. Federal Judge Paula Xinis demanded updates on efforts to secure his return and signaled she was considering contempt proceedings against the administration, citing a lack of transparency. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg also ruled that “probable cause exists” to hold the Trump administration in contempt for violating prior judicial orders, including misuse of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen even traveled to El Salvador in an effort to meet with local officials and advocate for Abrego Garcia. “He was illegally abducted and needs to come home,” Van Hollen said in a video posted to X.
Following mounting legal and political pressure, Abrego Garcia was finally returned to the U.S. in early June 2025. However, upon arrival, he was indicted by a federal grand jury in Tennessee on two counts related to human smuggling. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in which he was allegedly found transporting undocumented migrants. He remains in federal custody awaiting trial.
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