Setback for Kilmar Abrego Garcia as judge denies bid for asylum | World News - The Indian Express skip to contentAdvertisementAbrego Garcia, who immigrated to the United States illegally as a teenager, has an American wife and children and has lived in Maryland for years.By: Express Web Desk October 2, 2025 11:01 PM IST First published on: Oct 2, 2025 at 11:01 PM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookThe judge noted that there is "insufficient evidence" that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to remove Abrego GarciaA US immigration judge has denied a bid for asylum from Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man who has become the face of the Trump administration’s war on illegal immigrants.Philip Taylor, the immigration judge in Baltimore on Wednesday rejected an application by his lawyers to reopen his 2019 immigration case.In 2019, Abrego Garcia was arrested by immigration agents, but his request for asylum was rejected as he had been in the US for more than a year. But the judge ruled he could not be deported to El Salvador, where he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family.On Wednesday, Judge Taylor also noted that there is “insufficient evidence” that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to remove Abrego Garcia to Uganda, Eswatini, or any other third country, after the DHS sent Abrego Garcia’s attorneys a notice in August saying the agency may deport their client to Uganda.Kilmar Abrego Garcia, centre, leaves the Putnam County Jail, in Cookeville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen)While the emergency motion filed in August to reopen the case was rejected, Abrego Garcia still has 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals.Abrego Garcia, who immigrated to the United States illegally as a teenager, has an American wife and children and has lived in Maryland for years.Earlier this year, he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and was held in a notorious prison, and his case soon became a rallying point for those who oppose the Republican president’s immigration crackdown.Facing a ruling from the Supreme Court, the administration returned him to the US in June, only to immediately charge him with human smuggling. He is also accused of being an MS-13 gang member, a domestic abuser, and a child predator, without any substantial evidence to back these claims. The only other known criminal charge Abrego Garcia faces is in Tennessee, based on a 2022 traffic stop.His attorneys have denounced the criminal charges and the deportation efforts, saying they are an attempt to punish him for standing up to the administration. Abrego Garcia’s request to reopen his asylum case is a calculated risk. If approved, asylum could provide him with a green card and a path to citizenship. But if he loses, an immigration judge could remove his protection from being returned to his native country. That could place him back in the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT.Most ReadMaryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, right, speaks with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran citizen who was living in Maryland and deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration, in a hotel restaurant in San Salvador, El Salvador, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Press Office Senator Van Hollen, via AP)His lawyers have filed motions requesting a gag order and say he will not be able to receive a fair trial because of the “highly prejudicial, inflammatory, and false statements” made about him.While the federal judge in Tennessee can order prosecutors there not to make any prejudicial statements about Abrego Garcia, it is unclear whether the judge’s authority extends to the Department of Homeland Security, which posted about the immigration court ruling on X on Wednesday.“His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the US but one thing is certain, this Salvadoran man is not going to be able to remain in our country,” the post read.AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...SubscribeSign InJournalism of CourageTop CategoriesLATEST STORIESWhat happens next as US shutdown enters Day 2? 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