DOJ Says ‘Administrative Error’ Resulted in Deportation of Gang Member

The deportation took place on March 15.

Prisoners watch behind bars as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem accompanied by Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro (R), tours the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025. Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. government deported an El Salvadoran illegal immigrant to El Salvador despite him having protection against removal, according to new court filings.

Kilmar Armando Abrego-Garcia, who was arrested on March 12 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations “due to his prominent role” in the notorious MS-13 transnational gang, was deported on March 15 to his home country, Robert Cerna II, an acting field office director for ICE, said on March 31 in one of the documents.