Man wrongly deported to El Salvador set to be removed from US again
Kilmar Abrego Garcia has surrendered to US immigration authorities in Baltimore as the Trump administration looks to deport him for a second time.
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The Maryland construction worker became the face of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported in March to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador.
He was returned to the US in June but only to face human smuggling charges that his lawyers call preposterous and vindictive.
The Trump administration said it is trying to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda months before his trial is scheduled in Tennessee, alleging that the 30-year-old married father is a danger to the community and an MS-13 gang member.
He denies the gang allegation, pleaded not guilty to smuggling charges and has asked a judge to dismiss the case on ground of vindictive prosecution.
The Salvadoran national spoke at a rally before he turned himself in.
"This administration has hit us hard but I want to tell you guys something: God is with us, and God will never leave us," Abrego Garcia said.
"God will bring justice to all the injustice we are suffering."
Abrego Garcia entered the offices of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a city centre office building. His wife emerged without him a few minutes later, appearing to have tears in her eyes.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a tweet that Abrego Garcia was being processed for deportation.
Abrego Garcia's lawyer Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said a lawsuit had been filed in federal district court in Maryland shortly after his detention asking for an order that he not be deported.
"I expect there's going to be a status conference very promptly, and we're going to ask for an interim order that he not be deported, pending his due process rights to contest deportation to any particular country," he said.
In a statement, Justice Department spokesperson Chad Gilmartin said the criminal charges underscore how Abrego Garcia presents a "clear danger" and that he can either plead guilty or stand trial.
"Either way, we will hold Abrego Garcia accountable and protect the American people," Mr Gilmartin said.
The US mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in March, despite a judge's earlier determination that he faced a "well-founded fear" of violence there.
Facing a court order, the Trump administration brought him back to the United States in June, only to detain him on human smuggling charges.