Judge Hints at Possible Contempt in Case of Man Deported to El Salvador

During a hearing on April 15, the judge said the record didn’t demonstrate the administration complied with her order.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a file photograph. Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via Reuters

GREENBELT, Md.—U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on April 15 ordered two weeks of expedited discovery, including depositions of government officials and document requests, to determine whether the Trump administration acted to comply with her order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant deported to El Salvador last month.

Xinis issued her order after a hearing in Maryland, where protesters could be seen with signs criticizing the administration and supporting Abrego Garcia outside the courthouse in Greenbelt.