The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an order requiring the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego García, a Maryland resident the administration said it mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison last month.
The Trump administration alleged Abrego García was an MS-13 gang member and has argued his return to the U.S. could pose a threat. Abrego García is married to a U.S. citizen and his lawyer has said he has yet to be charged with any crime. The 29-year-old is being held in the country’s Terrorism Confinement Center, and the administration has offered scant evidence to tie him to the gang.
The court backed an order from District Court Judge Paula Xinis that mandated Abrego García’s return and said the administration must “ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” But it gave no set deadline for his return and asked the lower court to clarify its order.