Federal Judge Slams Trump Administration Over Inaction in Wrongful Deportation Case
A federal judge in Maryland is taking the Trump administration to task for what she called a “complete failure” to comply with a court order involving the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man currently imprisoned in El Salvador despite a 2019 court ruling that protected him from removal.
In a fiery hearing Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis accused the administration of deliberately stonewalling efforts to return Abrego Garcia from the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador. The judge ordered depositions from four federal immigration officials by April 23 and signaled she may soon consider holding officials in contempt if compliance doesn’t improve.
“What the record shows is that nothing has been done. Nothing,” Judge Xinis said in court. “I asked for reports from individuals with direct knowledge and I’ve gotten very little information of any value.”
The Justice Department admitted that Abrego Garcia, 37, was deported last month in what it described as an “administrative error.” The Trump administration has since insisted that it cannot compel El Salvador to release him, even as the U.S. continues to fund the CECOT facility—reportedly paying over $6 million for the detention of Garcia and more than 200 others.
Despite a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring the administration to “facilitate” Garcia’s return, DOJ attorney Drew Ensign argued that the term should be interpreted narrowly under immigration law—essentially claiming the U.S. has no obligation unless Garcia somehow escapes prison and appears at a U.S. embassy or border.
Judge Xinis dismissed the logic outright.
“The bottom line is it was a very simple directive,” she said. “What have you done? I’ve gotten no real response, nor have I gotten any legitimate reason.”
The administration’s argument included references to a recent Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, where Bukele publicly refused to release Garcia. Xinis expressed frustration that the DOJ submitted a transcript of the press-heavy meeting as part of their legal filing, noting, “No press release is going to move the court.”
The hearing marked a month since Garcia was deported, and his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, told reporters their three children have not heard from him since. “You should have been here leading our Easter prayers,” she said, speaking directly to her husband. “Instead, I find myself pleading with the Trump and Bukele administrations: stop playing political games with the life of Kilmar.”
The judge has demanded full cooperation from the administration over the next two weeks, instructing officials to cancel vacations and prioritize discovery in the case. “We’re going to move. There will be no tolerance for gamesmanship and grandstanding,” she said.
Officer depositions, document production, and interrogatory responses are all due by April 23. Judge Xinis made clear that the clock is ticking for the administration to show they are making a good-faith effort to comply with the Supreme Court and return Garcia to the United States.
As the case unfolds, legal analysts say the outcome could set a high-stakes precedent for the limits of executive power in immigration enforcement—and the ability of courts to hold the White House accountable when rights are violated.
