A federal judge in Maryland expressed mounting frustration during a federal hearing as lawyers for the Donald Trump administration repeatedly dodged basic questions about the fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man previously deported to a prison in El Salvador under disputed circumstances. Knewz.com has learned that the judge, who earlier this year ordered the U.S. government to retrieve Abrego Garcia from El Salvador’s maximum-security CECOT prison, reportedly appeared exasperated as DOJ attorneys offered vague and conflicting answers during the hours-long session.
The Kilmar Abrego Garcia case

Kilmar Abrego Garcia had previously been deported to El Salvador and imprisoned at CECOT, a high-security facility known for its harsh conditions. Earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return him to the U.S., citing procedural failures in the deportation process. That order brought national attention to the Trump admin’s increasingly aggressive use of foreign prisons to house deportees, a strategy critics argue violates international norms. Although Abrego Garcia is back in U.S. custody, the administration has provided few details about his status or future. The recent hearing highlighted not only the government’s reluctance to answer basic questions but also its broader lack of transparency in immigration enforcement cases.
DOJ lawyers dodge simple questions during hearing

The hearing reached a critical point when the federal judge asked DOJ attorney Jonathan Guynn what the government intended to do with Abrego Garcia if he were released, to which Guynn offered two possibilities. According to Guynn, the government could either “remove him to a third country” or “seek to revisit Abrego Garcia’s order of withholding of removal.” When the judge pressed him to clarify which option the administration was pursuing, Guynn responded that the “current plan” was to remove Abrego Garcia to a third country, though he emphasized that no final decision had been made. “I do not believe that has been determined yet,” Guynn replied. “I think there’s a number of countries with whom we have treaties and agreements … and DHS would explore its options for removal closer to the time when they would be taking [Abrego Garcia] into custody.”
DOJ lawyer’s response leaves judge ‘confused’

When the judge inquired whether the government had begun identifying a potential third country for Abrego Garcia’s removal, a second Justice Department attorney stepped in, admitting that they lacked that detail. As reported by Lawfare’s Anna Bower, who observed the proceedings firsthand, the response seemed to leave the judge confused. According to reports, over the course of the hearing, Justice Department attorneys continually sidestepped direct questions, offering few substantive answers to even the most basic inquiries.
El Salvador denies responsibility

According to documents submitted by lawyers representing other deported individuals, El Salvador’s government stated that it bears no legal responsibility for detainees like Abrego Garcia and accepted them at the request of the U.S. The disclosure contradicts the Trump administration’s repeated claims in court that El Salvador maintains full control over individuals held at CECOT and that returning deportees is beyond its jurisdiction. The filing implies that the U.S. may still effectively control the fate of those deported, despite assertions to the contrary. Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union, lead counsel in the case, said in a statement in this regard, “El Salvador has confirmed what we and everyone else understood: It is the United States that controls what happens to the Venezuelans languishing at CECOT. Remarkably, the U.S. government didn’t provide this information to us or the court.”
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Author: Samyarup Chowdhury
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