Washington DC, Aug 24(HS):

Less than a day after walking free, Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García has been told he may be deported to Uganda—a country with which he has no known ties—after rejecting a US government plea offer in a human smuggling case.

Lawyers for Ábrego García say he refused to plead guilty in exchange for deportation to Costa Rica, where the government had agreed to grant him legal refugee status. They now accuse US authorities of using deportation threats as leverage to force a guilty plea, describing the move as “coercion.”

Ábrego García, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador earlier this year before being returned to face charges in Tennessee, was released Friday following a judge’s order. Hours later, his attorneys were informed of the Uganda deportation plan.

Federal documents reveal the US has bilateral deportation agreements with both Honduras and Uganda. Uganda, however, has indicated it prefers to only accept African nationals in transfers, raising fresh questions over the legality and intent of Washington’s move.

Ábrego García is expected to appear in Baltimore immigration court on Monday, where a judge could approve his deportation within days. His lawyers say he must decide by Monday morning whether to accept the Costa Rica deal—plead guilty and serve a sentence before transfer—or risk being sent “halfway across the world” to Uganda.

His case has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdowns, spotlighting controversial deportation deals and the pressure tactics facing migrants entangled in the US justice system.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar