'That ends now': Federal judge condemns White House officials in Salvadoran deportation case, ordering it to answer for 'bad faith'
A US federal judge has criticized the Trump administration for failing to comply with court orders in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was deported in violation of a 2019 ruling barring his removal due to fears of persecution.
According to CBS News, US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland on Wednesday denied a government request for another delay in providing information about Abrego Garcia's deportation, ordering officials to "answer and respond to all outstanding discovery requests" by May 5 and to submit to depositions by May 9.
Xinis, who previously accused the administration of a "willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations," condemned the repeated use of vague privilege claims as obstruction.
"For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege … That ends now," she wrote in a court filing.
Abrego Garcia, a sheet metal apprentice and father living in the city of Baltimore, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in March and deported to El Salvador, where he was placed in the notorious CECOT prison.
His attorneys say he was wrongly linked to the MS-13 gang and was denied due process. The government has acknowledged the deportation was an "administrative error," but has refused to arrange for his return.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat who visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador earlier this month, took to the Senate floor Wednesday to denounce the administration's defiance.
"I am not vouching for Mr. Abrego Garcia, but I am vouching for his constitutional right to due process," Van Hollen said.
"Because if Donald Trump can ignore court orders and trample over the rights of one man, he threatens the rights of everyone who lives in the United States of America."
- White House defiant as court presses for accountability
The Trump administration, however, has continued to resist calls for repatriation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told CBS News that Abrego Garcia is "home there in his country," and added: "If he were to be brought back to the United States of America, we would immediately deport him again."
President Trump doubled down during a Wednesday Cabinet meeting, telling ABC News that Abrego Garcia "is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland."
"If he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would [bring him back], but he's not," he added.
Trump has repeatedly cited debunked evidence that Abrego Garcia is allegedly a gang member, including manipulated photos.
At the same meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed questions about diplomatic efforts with El Salvador.
"The conduct of our foreign policy belongs to the president of the United States and the executive branch – not some judge," he said, seemingly hinting at a constitutional showdown.
Judge Xinis has authorized further depositions of four federal officials involved in the deportation, and left open the possibility of more.
With hearings expected to intensify in coming weeks, the case continues to raise constitutional questions about executive power, immigration enforcement, and judicial oversight.
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