A federal judge is demanding answers from the Trump administration after officials failed to explain the whereabouts of a man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador nearly a month ago.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident, was deported on March 15. His removal from the United States was an acknowledged error, yet weeks later, the federal government has not provided the court with basic information about his location, condition, or what is being done to bring him back.
“I am asking a very simple question: Where is he?” said U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis during a tense hearing Friday in Greenbelt, Maryland. Her question was met with silence. Department of Justice attorney Drew Ensign told the court, “I do not have that information provided to me.”
That wasn’t enough for the judge, who responded sharply: “There is no evidence today as to where he is today. That is extremely troubling.”
The hearing followed a U.S. Supreme Court order issued just one day earlier, directing the Trump administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return. The Court, however, stopped short of explicitly requiring the government to bring him back to the United States. Even so, Judge Xinis made it clear that the government’s vague statements and delays were not acceptable.
In response to the administration’s repeated refusal to give direct answers, Judge Xinis issued an extraordinary directive: the government must now provide her with daily sworn updates from someone with direct, personal knowledge of Abrego Garcia’s situation. She wants to know where he is, whether he’s in custody, and what actions are being taken to secure his return. If the government has no new information, it must say that—on the record—every day.
“I hope you will in good faith comply,” she told Ensign. “It’s important to go on record in a case of this nature.”
Despite a court-ordered deadline of 11:30 a.m. Friday to provide a sworn statement with this information, the administration failed to meet it. The government filed a brief response instead, arguing it was “not in a position” to share any of the requested details. “That is the reality,” Justice Department lawyers told the court.
Earlier that morning, just as a previous deadline was passing, the government requested an extension. Officials also argued that disclosing potential steps before they are reviewed and approved would be “unreasonable and impracticable.” In their court filing, they wrote, “Foreign affairs cannot operate on judicial timelines, in part because it involves sensitive country-specific considerations wholly inappropriate for judicial review.”
Still, Judge Xinis said the government must be held accountable. She has now made it clear that every day without a clear answer is one day too many.
