Kilmar Abrego Garcia fights deportation in high-profile immigration case

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, is renewing his bid for asylum with a virtual hearing scheduled for today.

(CNN)- Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year, is renewing his bid for asylum with a virtual hearing scheduled for today. His attorneys are asking a U.S. District Judge to order his release from detention, while the judge has temporarily blocked the government from re-deporting him.

Abrego Garcia’s case drew national attention after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported him in error, only for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and require the government to “facilitate” his return. Now back in the U.S., he is pressing his asylum claim.

“He’s finally going to get the due process he deserves,” said his attorney, Benjamin Osorio.

But the Trump administration is taking a hard line. Attorney General Pam Bondi has accused Abrego Garcia of gang ties and human smuggling — charges he denies. “The guy needs to be in prison,” Bondi said.

Legal experts say the evidence against him is thin. “The allegations are based on third- and fourth-hand hearsay,” noted legal analyst Elie Honig, adding that a federal judge granted him bail after the defense challenged the credibility of the government’s case.

Abrego Garcia rejected a plea deal that would have deported him to Costa Rica, where he was offered legal status. Now, the Department of Justice is considering deporting him to Uganda or even back to El Salvador, despite international scrutiny of the case.