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By Mandy Taheri
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who has been at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, could be deported to Liberia by the end of the month, according to the government's court filing on Friday.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in an email, "His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the U.S., but one thing is certain, this Salvadoran man is not going to be able to remain in our country."
Newsweek has reached out to Abrego Garcia’s lawyer for comment via email on Saturday.
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Why It Matters
Garcia’s immigration story has been in the spotlight since March when the Trump administration sent him to the high-security CECOT prison in El Salvador in what was deemed an administrative error. He was returned to the United States in June after a months-long court fight and now faces human smuggling charges, which he denies, stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
Since a court order prevents Abrego Garcia’s return to El Salvador, the administration has been looking for a third country to accept him, with Eswatini, Uganda, and Ghana previously floated.
The Trump administration reported in September that “2 million illegal aliens have been removed or self-deported in just 250 days.” President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. Some of the deportees have been sent back to their country of origin, while others have gone to third countries that have entered an agreement with the U.S.
What To Know
Abrego Garcia’s immigration saga has extended for months as the administration admitted it first mistakenly deported him to El Salvador. Previously, the DHS told Abrego Garcia it planned to send him to Uganda, which he objected to, saying he feared being persecuted or tortured. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis blocked his deportation to Uganda in late-August.
The Justice Department said in a court filing that Abrego Garcia could be deported to Liberia as soon as October 31. In a Friday filing, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers wrote, “Liberia does not constitute a viable removal destination,” noting that he “expressed fear of removal to that country and requested a reasonable fear interview.”
The government wrote in their filing that “Although Petitioner has identified more than twenty countries that he purports to fear would persecute or torture him if he were removed there, Liberia is not on that list.” The government called Liberia "a thriving democracy and one of the United States' closest partners on the African continent." English is the official language of the country, which has a population of fewer than 6 million.
Abrego Garcia came to the U.S. illegally as a teenager, and is married to a U.S. citizen, residing in Maryland. He has said he is willing to be deported to Costa Rica, which has indicated it would accept him, but the administration has not pursued that option publicly.
The Trump administration maintains that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which Trump designated a terrorist organization in January. He and his family have consistently denied this allegation.
The government attorneys wrote that they have “received diplomatic assurances regarding the treatment of third country individuals removed to Liberia from the United States and are making the final necessary arrangements for Petitioner’s removal,” adding that Abrego Garcia's removal to the country could occur as soon as October 31.
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What People Are Saying
Senator Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, wrote in a Friday statement: “The Trump Administration has been desperately shopping for faraway countries they can ship Kilmar Abrego Garcia to in order to deny his constitutional due process right to defend himself against the charges they have brought. Clearly, Trump’s cronies want to avoid answering for the claim that they are engaged in a vindictive prosecution against Abrego Garcia, after a federal judge concluded earlier this month that his prosecution ‘may stem from retaliation by the DOJ and DHS due to Abrego’s successful challenge of his unlawful deportation in Maryland.’ Kilmar must be allowed his day in court to fight for his rights.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "This MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, domestic abuser, and child predator will never be loose on American streets. His lawyers tried to fight his removal from the U.S., but one thing is certain, this Salvadoran man is not going to be able to remain in our country. He will never be allowed to prey on innocent Americans again. Never forget the Democrats flew to a foreign land on the US taxpayer’s dime to break bread with this terrorist gang member and visit him in prison. While they continue to fight for criminal illegal aliens, we will continue to put the safety of the American people FIRST.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote in an X post on Friday: “After trying to bribe Kilmer Abrego Garcia into pleading guilty by telling him they’d send him to Costa Rica if he did and to Africa if he didn’t, the Trump admin is now refusing to acknowledge that he agreed to be deported to Costa Rica — but won’t plead guilty.”
Mario Zamora Cordero, Costa Rica's minister of governance, police and public security, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Embassy: "The Government of Costa Rica presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of American in San José, and wishes to express its willingness to accept the transfer from the United States to Costa Rica of Mr. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia upon the conclusion of any criminal sentence he may serve in the United States of America.”
The DHS said in an August 25 statement: "Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not and will never be a Maryland Man—he is a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and public safety threat. It is insane that sanctuary politicians chose to glorify and stand with an MS-13 gang member over the safety of American citizens. President Trump and Secretary Noem are 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 any longer.”
What Happens Next
Abrego Garcia has not been convicted of any charges, and his human smuggling trial is scheduled to begin on January 27, 2026. He has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling.
Update 10/26/25, 11:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with McLaughlin's comment.
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