A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from immigration detention.U.S.District Judge Paula Xinis said in her order Thursday that "since Abrego Garcia's wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority."Xinis said that the absence of a removal order prevents the government from removing Abrego Garcia from the United States.ICE official struggles to answer questions about Abrego Garcia's potential deportationAbrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison -- despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution -- after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which he denies.He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, to which he has pleaded not guilty.After being released into the custody of his brother in Maryland pending trial, he was again detained by immigration authorities and is currently being held in a detention facility in Pennsylvania.Last month, the government -- seeking to deport Abrego Garcia to the West African nation of Liberia -- asked Xinis to dissolve a ban on his removal to that country, saying it had received assurances from the Liberian government that he would not be persecuted or tortured should he be deported there.Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks during a rally and prayer vigil for him before he enters a U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office on August 25, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland.Andrew Harnik/Getty ImagesIn her order Thursday, Judge Xinis directed the government to notify Abrego Garcia of the exact time and location of his release and to notify the court no later than 5 p.m.ET today.In the 31-page order granting Abrego Garcia's habeas petition, Xinis detailed Abrego Garcia's removal to El Salvador, his return to the...