Courts

Judge Orders ICE to Release Kilmar Abrego Garcia From Custody

The judge said the administration lacked a lawful order to effectuate a third-country removal for Abrego Garcia.
Judge Orders ICE to Release Kilmar Abrego Garcia From Custody
Kilmar Abrego Garcia accompanied by his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura enters a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Baltimore, Md., on Aug. 25, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Sam Dorman
Sam Dorman
Washington Correspondent
|Updated:
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A federal judge has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who has been at the center of the Trump administration’s deportation battles, from custody.

“Because Abrego Garcia has been held in ICE detention to effectuate third-country removal absent a lawful removal order, his requested relief is proper,” U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said in an opinion on Dec. 11.
Sam Dorman
Sam Dorman
Washington Correspondent
Sam Dorman is a Washington correspondent covering courts and politics for The Epoch Times. You can follow him on X at @EpochofDorman.
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