--- title: "Kilmar Ábrego Garcia continues deportation fight in federal court" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kilmar-abrego-garcia-continues-deportation-fight-in-federal-court" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/kilmar-abrego-garcia-continues-deportation-fight-in-federal-court" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/kilmar-abrego-garcia-continues-deportation-fight-in-federal-court.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/kilmar-abrego-garcia-continues-deportation-fight-in-federal-court" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-10-06T13:25:15.947Z" source_reported: "2026-10-06T12:25:08.000Z" updated: "2026-10-06T13:25:15.947Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-10-06T13:15:09.429369+00:00" --- # Kilmar Ábrego Garcia continues deportation fight in federal court *The government seeks to deport the Salvadoran national to Liberia, a process that began after he was mistakenly sent to El Salvador.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. One full report and 12 digests provide details, with claims attributed to named sources and documents. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. The report includes quotes from affected parties and explains the background and implications of the case. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The language used is factual and avoids sensationalism, with a clear and informative headline. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is scheduled to appear in federal court as the U.S. government pursues his deportation to Liberia. - The deportation process began 18 months ago when Ábrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to El Salvador. - A preliminary injunction currently prevents his deportation, and his legal team aims to make it permanent. - Ábrego Garcia was arrested in March 2025 after picking up his son, who has disabilities. Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is due in federal court as the U.S. government continues its effort to deport him. This process, which has been ongoing for 18 months, began when Ábrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to El Salvador. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis previously issued a preliminary injunction that stops the government from deporting Ábrego Garcia to Liberia. His legal team is seeking to make this injunction permanent. The judge had previously kept earlier orders in place and ordered his release from custody. Ábrego Garcia, 31, was arrested in Baltimore in March 2025 while picking up his then-5-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities. The Trump administration brought him back to the U.S. in June 2025 after securing an indictment that charged him with human smuggling. A federal judge dismissed this case in May 2026, ruling that the Justice Department pursued the charges to penalize Ábrego Garcia for challenging his deportation. The government is appealing this dismissal. ## Disagreement on deportation destination Washington Top News reported that Ábrego Garcia argued for deportation to Costa Rica, a country that had previously agreed to accept him. However, according to the outlet, a former acting director of ICE stated that deporting him to Costa Rica would be "prejudicial to the United States" due to resources spent negotiating with Liberia. The outlet also noted that the push for deportation to Liberia continued even after the U.S. signed an agreement with Costa Rica for deportees unable to return to their home countries. ## Omissions in coverage None of the right-rated digests mention the claim by Jossie Flor Sapunar that the Trump administration secured an indictment charging Ábrego Garcia with human smuggling after he was returned to the U.S. in June 2025, and that a federal judge dismissed this case in May 2026. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 54% (7) - Centre: 38% (5) - Right: 8% (1) 0 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-10-06T13:15:09.429369+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-10-06T13:30:13.850Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Left-rated reports highlighted that the government continues to seek deportation to Liberia despite Costa Rica being an option. Jossie Flor Sapunar, national communications director for We Are CASA, was quoted stating the government "continues to punish him for pursuing his constitutional rights and seeks to ship him to Liberia." Sapunar also said Ábrego Garcia has become an "international symbol of due process, a symbol which the Trump administration wants to silence." The arrest of Ábrego Garcia after picking up his son, who has disabilities, was mentioned in multiple left-rated digests. ### Centre - Centre-rated reports focused on the court proceedings and the government's ongoing attempt to deport Ábrego Garcia. The digests noted the 18-month duration of the case, which began with his mistaken deportation to El Salvador. The existence of a preliminary injunction preventing his deportation to Liberia and his legal team's efforts to make it permanent were also central points. ### Right - The single right-rated digest stated that Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is back in federal court as the government continues its deportation efforts. It noted that his legal team wants to make a preliminary injunction permanent to prevent his deportation and that the injunction was put in place in December by a judge. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 8 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kilmar-abrego-garcia-liberia-deportation-b3062115.html) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia returns to federal court to fight deportation to Liberia - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/kilmar-abrego-garcia-liberia-deportation-b3062115.html) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia returns to federal court to fight deportation to Liberia - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/us-politics/2026/10/kilmar-abrego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia – WTOP News - [WBAL](https://wbal.com/kilmar-abrego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportat - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/kilmar-abrego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/kilmar-brego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia/article_89ed122a-c703-5f2f-82df-1aeef486672d.html) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-liberia-court-afdb23db991a16e062679c6955f87798) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [Audacy](https://audacy.com/wbbm780/news/politics/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-liberia-court-afdb23db991a16e062679c6955f87798) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [WV News](https://wvnews.com/newsfeed/politics/kilmar-brego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to/article_18ed4528-6e37-57b3-be9b-5d79984fa32f.html) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [Madison Courier](https://madisoncourier.com/ap/news/kilmar-brego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to/article_136a278d-b1a7-5c72-a394-0d382fb6ebc5.html) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/united-states/kilmar-brego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia/article_b30f2938-53a8-5d70-88ec-c374d51c2b98.html) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/world/united-states/kilmar-brego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia/article_9f648439-684f-506c-93b4-b0a57614a24f.html) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/10/06/kilmar-abrego-garcia-is-set-to-be-back-in-court-as-he-battles-deportation-to-liberia) — Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is set to be back in court as he battles deportation to Liberia ## Questions **Why is Kilmar Ábrego Garcia in federal court?** Kilmar Ábrego Garcia is in federal court as the U.S. government continues its 18-month effort to deport him to Liberia. His legal team is seeking to make a preliminary injunction permanent to prevent his removal. **How did the deportation process begin?** The deportation process began when Kilmar Ábrego Garcia was mistakenly sent to El Salvador 18 months ago. He was later brought back to the U.S. by the Trump administration. **What is the current legal status of his deportation?** A preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis currently prevents his deportation to Liberia. His legal team is working to make this injunction permanent. **What is the government's argument against deporting him to Costa Rica?** According to Washington Top News, a former acting director of ICE argued that deporting Ábrego Garcia to Costa Rica would be "prejudicial to the United States" because of resources already spent negotiating with Liberia. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/kilmar-abrego-garcia-continues-deportation-fight-in-federal-court. 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