Supreme Court Temporarily Halts Deportation of Maryland Man Abrego Garcia

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court on Monday issued a temporary pause on a lower court’s order requiring the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador. The decision follows a request from the Trump administration for additional time to present arguments regarding the case.

Chief Justice John Roberts granted an administrative stay, extending the deadline originally set for midnight, allowing more time for deliberation on the matter. Abrego Garcia, who was deported on March 15, remains in custody in a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Attorneys for the Trump administration argued that the deportation of Garcia, who has three children and had been allowed to remain in the U.S. under a 2019 immigration ruling, was due to an administrative error. The administration’s appeal stipulates that federal courts should not intervene in foreign diplomacy matters.

“Even amidst a deluge of unlawful injunctions, this order is remarkable,” said Solicitor General D. John Sauer in his Monday court filing. “The Constitution charges the president, not federal district courts, with the conduct of foreign diplomacy and protecting the nation against foreign terrorists, including by effectuating their removal.”

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals had previously denied a request from the Trump administration to stay the lower court’s order mandating Abrego Garcia’s return. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled on Friday that Garcia’s deportation violated legal protections established by an immigration judge’s decision.

In her opinion, Judge Xinis highlighted that federal agents had unlawfully detained Garcia. “Defendants seized Abrego Garcia without any lawful authority; held him in three separate domestic detention centers without legal basis; and forcibly transported him to El Salvador,” she wrote.

Garcia’s legal representation criticized the Trump administration’s actions, emphasizing that Garcia posed no threat and has lived in the U.S. legally for over six years. “The government screwed up here. They made a mistake. They need to set it right,” said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Garcia’s attorney.

In response to the announcement about the administrative stay, Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, expressed her relief and determination. “This decision gives me hope, and even more encouragement to keep fighting,” she stated. “My children are waiting to be reunited with their father tonight.”

Xinis rebuked the Trump administration’s contention that the court had no jurisdiction over foreign removal processes, stressing that the potential precedent it sets could allow for individuals to be deported in violation of court orders.

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a more definitive ruling on the matter in the coming days, following the responses from both legal teams.