The U.S. Justice Department just dropped a bombshell by naming Liberia as the new destination for deporting a Salvadoran national caught in a legal quagmire.
Newsmax reported that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose yearlong battle with the Trump administration over his removal from the U.S. has taken a sharp turn with Liberia agreeing to accept him, potentially as early as the end of October 2025, while he faces criminal charges and ongoing legal disputes.
Abrego Garcia, originally from El Salvador, was previously sent back to his home country despite court protections barring such a move. He was later returned to the U.S., only to find himself entangled in more legal woes.
Fast forward to 2022, when a traffic stop led to federal human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia in Tennessee.
He’s pleaded not guilty and even argued the case is vindictive—a claim a federal judge recently allowed to move forward with discovery, citing a reasonable likelihood of bad faith.
While that criminal case chugs along, the Justice Department insists immigration authorities can still proceed with deportation. It’s a classic case of bureaucratic muscle-flexing, prioritizing removal over waiting for the courts to sort out the mess.
Enter Liberia, a West African nation now designated as the removal destination as of late October 2025. Government lawyers informed a Maryland federal court of this development, noting they’ve secured diplomatic assurances and plan to notify Abrego Garcia formally before the removal deadline.
Now, why Liberia, you ask? The Justice Department paints it as a thriving democracy, a close U.S. partner with an English-speaking population and a constitution mirroring our own, not to mention a commitment to humane treatment of refugees.
They argue, “Liberia is a thriving democracy and one of the United States' closest partners on the African continent,” adding that it’s a safe bet for someone like Abrego Garcia. But let’s be real—praising a country’s credentials doesn’t erase the question of why a Salvadoran with no ties to Africa is being sent thousands of miles away.
Interestingly, Abrego Garcia has listed over 20 countries where he fears persecution or torture, but Liberia isn’t one of them. That’s a convenient loophole for the government, though it hardly feels like a solution rooted in fairness or common sense.
His legal team isn’t buying the government’s rosy picture. “Having struck out with Uganda, Eswatini, and Ghana, ICE now seeks to deport our client Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia — a country with which he has no connection, thousands of miles from his family and home in Maryland,” said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s counsel. Sounds like a valid gripe when you consider prior failed attempts to ship him off to other African nations.
Sandoval-Moshenberg also pointed out an alternative: Costa Rica has agreed to take Abrego Garcia as a refugee, a seemingly more logical option.
He argues the government’s choice of Liberia “feels designed to inflict maximum hardship” and calls it “punitive, cruel, and unconstitutional." It’s hard not to wonder if this is less about policy and more about sending a message.
Meanwhile, a Maryland federal judge has temporarily blocked immediate deportation while litigation over Abrego Garcia’s detention continues. That’s a small win for due process in a saga that feels like a bureaucratic ping-pong match.
This entire ordeal underscores a broader clash between the Trump administration’s tough-on-immigration stance and the messy realities of individual cases. The push to remove Abrego Garcia, even as criminal and civil proceedings unfold, raises eyebrows about priorities—law and order or just clearing the docket?