Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Bid to Deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia, Rebukes DOJ

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on April 7, 2026 blocked the Trump administration's attempt to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, rebuking the DOJ for attempting to 'dictate' the terms of the proceedings to the court. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man, had been erroneously deported to El Salvador in March 2025 in violation of a court order — a deportation the government admitted was a mistake. The Supreme Court unanimously ordered his return to the United States, but the administration instead announced plans to deport him to Liberia. Judge Xinis rejected that approach and set new briefing deadlines for April 20 with a hearing scheduled for April 28. Separately, the administration has filed human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia in a Tennessee federal court — a move his attorneys characterize as vindictive prosecution designed to give the government legal cover to proceed with deportation. The case has become one of the highest-profile judicial confrontations over executive defiance of court orders in the Trump second term.