Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has informed Kilmar Abrego Garcia that he will be deported to the African nation of Eswatini, according to documents obtained by Fox News and CBS News.
Abrego Garcia, an illegal migrant originally from El Salvador, was previously detained in Tennessee and ordered removed from the United States.
A judge had ruled last month that he could not be sent back to El Salvador, leading the Trump administration to pursue deportation to Africa.
Legal Fight
The gang member first faced deportation to Uganda.
He immediately appealed, claiming he would face persecution or torture there because of his race, nationality, political opinion, or social group membership.
ICE said Garcia has made similar claims against more than 20 countries, a strategy officials described as “hard to take seriously.”
Following his latest appeal, ICE notified Garcia’s lawyers that he will now be sent to Eswatini, a small landlocked nation in southern Africa.
Homeland Security officials cheered the move, posting on social media: “He doesn’t belong here. He won’t be staying here. America is a safer nation without this MS-13 gangbanger in it. Good riddance.”
Background
Abrego Garcia was arrested while living illegally in Maryland and deported to El Salvador earlier this year.
He was placed in the CECOT mega-prison, but judges later ordered him returned to the U.S.
He has a criminal record including domestic violence charges.
