Trump admin tells court it still plans to deport Kilmar Garcia — but not to El Salvador

The Trump administration admitted its plan for accused gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia at an online hearing to decide his fate.

On Thursday, Justice Department attorney Jonathan Guynn said that the administration was still going to deport Garcia, but to a “third country” that is not El Salvador.

‘If this Court does not act swiftly, then the Government is likely to whisk Abrego Garcia away.’

Garcia had been deported to the infamous prison for terrorists in El Salvador by the administration, but an order from the Supreme Court precipitated his return. The government then had him indicted on smuggling charges and vowed that he would not be set free on U.S. streets.

Guynn told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in a conference call with Garcia’s attorneys that the government had “no imminent plans” to deport the man and would comply with all court orders.

Garcia’s attorneys are requesting that Xinis order the government to transport him to Maryland after his release from a jail in Tennessee. The request is intended to prevent the government from deporting him immediately upon release.

“We have concerns that the government may try to remove Mr. Abrego Garcia quickly over the weekend, something like that,” said lawyer Jonathan Cooper.

“We do plan to comply with the orders we’ve received from this court and other courts,” said Guynn. “But there’s no timeline for these specific proceedings.”

Xinis said she could not rule on the request before considering the administration’s motions to dismiss the case, so she scheduled a hearing for July 7.

RELATED: Judge orders release of Kilmar Garcia — but DHS vows that ‘he will never go free on American soil’

A separate judge in Nashville, Tennessee, ruled that Garcia should be released while awaiting trial, after finding that the government had not presented enough evidence to rule him a flight risk or a threat to the community.

“If this Court does not act swiftly, then the Government is likely to whisk Abrego Garcia away to some place far from Maryland,” his attorneys wrote to Xinis.

Garcia has denied the allegations made by the government that he is a member of the heinous MS-13 gang.

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