The U.S. won’t detain Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia while a judge’s order blocking his detention remains in effect.

As long as a federal judge's order prohibiting his detention is in force, the U.S. government has confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not hold Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The ruling comes after a court order disclosing that senior Justice Department officials, including the office of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, pushed for Abrego Garcia to be prosecuted on charges of human smuggling after he was wrongfully deported in 2022 and later returned to the United States after a successful legal challenge. Concerns regarding political pressure and retaliation were raised when the judge discovered evidence that senior DOJ officials, not just local prosecutors, influenced the timing and pursuit of charges. Nine passengers were in his car during a traffic stop in 2022, and the case has brought prosecutorial discretion, immigration enforcement, and judicial oversight to the attention of the country. The government has been mandated to provide Abrego Garcia's legal team with more documents.