A U.S. judge has strongly criticized Donald Trump’s administration for not giving enough information about the wrongful deportation of a man who was legally living in the U.S. The judge, Paula Xinis, said the government hadn’t clearly shown how it was following her order to bring the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back to Maryland.
The Trump administration had claimed that they couldn’t share some details because of “state secrets”—a legal excuse used to protect national security. But Judge Xinis wasn’t convinced. She said they failed to explain how giving those details would actually harm the country or damage relations with other nations. She told them bluntly that they hadn’t provided anything useful to support their claim.
Garcia was deported on March 15 to a top-security prison in El Salvador, even though there was a court order in place to stop his removal. People in Washington, D.C., have held protests demanding he be brought back, and many believe the case shows the government might be ignoring court decisions.
Judge Xinis had already warned the administration last month that they needed to give more evidence and called the whole process an “exercise in utter frustration.” But even now, she said, they hadn’t really done so. During the court hearing, she also pointed out a statement made by a top Homeland Security official, Kristi Noem, who said Garcia would never be allowed back into the U.S. The judge saw that as a clear sign the government didn’t actually plan to follow her order.
A government lawyer, Jonathan Guynn, said the Supreme Court had already recognized that there are some things the government can’t talk about, even in court. But Garcia’s lawyer, Andrew Rossman, said it was disturbing that the administration claimed it was obeying the judge’s orders, while at the same time, top officials were publicly saying the exact opposite.
Judge Xinis said several official statements made it obvious that Garcia had been deported by mistake, and trying to change that fact now would be very difficult. The Department of Justice insisted in a recent court document that Garcia’s lawyers already have enough information to see that the government is doing what it was told. But Xinis made it clear she’s still not satisfied and may give them one more chance to back up their claims with real evidence.
