Following news that the Trump Administration admitted to wrongfully deporting a Maryland father to an El Salvador “megaprison,” the Maryland Democratic Party released the below statement:
“The Trump Administration has demonstrated a complete disregard for the rule of law and constitutional right to due process. If this Administration can wrongfully deport a man with legal protections explicitly issued by a federal judge – a father of a U.S. citizen child, with no criminal record – it can happen to anyone. Without accountability, no one’s rights are safe. This sets a dangerous precedent that should alarm every Marylander.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
The Atlantic: An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison
By Nick Miroff
March 31, 2025
- The Trump administration acknowledged in a court filing Monday that it had grabbed a Maryland father with protected legal status and mistakenly deported him to El Salvador, but said that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to order his return from the megaprison where he’s now locked up.
- Abrego Garcia, who is married to a U.S. citizen and has a 5-year-old disabled child who is also a U.S. citizen, has no criminal record in the United States.
- The Trump administration… called him a “danger to the community” and an active member of MS-13… The gang label stems from a 2019 incident when Abrego Garcia and three other men were detained… During questioning, one of the men told officers Abrego Garcia was a gang member, but the man offered no proof and police said they didn’t believe him, filings show. Police did not identify him as a gang member.
- Abrego Garcia has had no contact with any law enforcement agency since his release, according to his attorney. He works full time as a union sheetmetal apprentice, has complied with requirements to check in annually with ICE, and cares for his five-year-old son, who has autism and a hearing defect, and is unable to communicate verbally.
- If the government wants to deport someone with protected status, the standard course would be to reopen the case and introduce new evidence arguing for deportation.
- The Monday court filing by the government indicates officials knew Abrego Garcia had legal protections shielding him from deportation to El Salvador.