Salvadorian Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday morning, after arriving for a routine check-in at the agency’s Baltimore field office.
The arrest comes as federal officials prepare to start his “removal proceedings,” potentially deporting Garcia to a third country, such as Uganda. Throughout the announcement of Garcia’s arrest, the DHS continued to remind Americans that the man is a “MS-13 Gang Member, Human Trafficker, Wife Beater, Child Predator and Criminal Illegal Alien.”
Garcia’s legal team has immediately filed an emergency habeas petition in a District Court of Maryland, per Fox News, challenging both his arrest and the future planned deportation. His lawyers also argue that he should not be removed to another country until he has fully exercised his appeal rights and received a “fair” hearing in immigration court.
Outside the ICE office, family members and supporters of the man charged with human smuggling gathered for a candlelight vigil protesting against his arrest.
Despite the protests, federal authorities have continued to affirm that Garcia is considered a serious public safety risk.
After weeks of scrutiny earlier this year over whether Garcia is an MS-13 gang member, the Department of Justice released documents saying they support the allegations, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Garcia was also briefly detained in 2019 in connection with a murder investigation but never charged in that case.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem praised his arrest on social media, saying that the Trump administration will not allow individuals linked to violent criminal activity, including MS-13, to endanger American communities.
Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation.
President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) August 25, 2025
Garcia’s case has drawn national attention after his initial deportation to El Salvador, and his later return to America, where he faced human smuggling charges following a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
ICE has now notified his attorneys that Garcia’s removal or deportation to Uganda is imminent, citing a new agreement with the East African nation to accept certain deportees.
Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed in a Sunday interview on The Big Weekend Show that an agreement is in place, saying that Abrego García’s deportation is certain, adding that “his family can go with him, because he is leaving.”