‘Lawless and insane’: Trump officials quietly implode as judges hand them yet another ‘L’

A major legal battle is happening between the Trump administration and federal judges over the case of Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Judges in Tennessee and Maryland have issued quick court orders that temporarily stopped the administration from deporting Abrego Garcia right away. This has caused strong reactions from Trump officials and raised worries among immigration advocates.

Three court rulings on Wednesday changed these plans dramatically. In Tennessee, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ordered Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal custody, saying the government did not provide enough evidence to keep him locked up. According to Fox, Judge Crenshaw’s 37-page ruling strongly questioned the administration’s claims that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.

The judge said that to believe Abrego Garcia was in the gang, the court would have to make too many assumptions based on weak evidence, almost to the point of being unrealistic. The ruling pointed out that there was no direct proof, like gang tattoos, connections to known MS-13 members, or any statements from Abrego Garcia admitting he was in the gang.

It turns out there was no evidence Abrego was in MS-13

The recent court actions mark an important moment in Abrego Garcia’s long legal struggle. Earlier, he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, even though a court order was supposed to protect him from being removed. The Trump administration later admitted this was a mistake, and Abrego Garcia was brought back to the U.S. in June.

When he returned, he was put in criminal custody and accused of human smuggling. His lawyers say these charges are ridiculous. The administration planned to transfer him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody once he was released from criminal detention, with the goal of deporting him to another country, like Mexico or South Sudan.

After Judge Crenshaw’s decision, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes, who was responsible for carrying out the release, put a 30-day hold on Abrego Garcia’s release from criminal detention. This delay was requested by Abrego Garcia’s own lawyers, who worried that if he were released right away, he would quickly be taken into ICE custody and deported before he could properly fight his case in court.

At the same time, just two minutes after Judge Crenshaw’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland, who is overseeing Abrego Garcia’s civil case, issued an emergency order stopping the administration from immediately putting him in ICE custody. Judge Xinis was concerned that if he were taken into custody right away, he could be deported without a fair legal process.

Her order requires that Abrego Garcia be placed under ICE supervision at the Baltimore Field Office. She also ruled that the Trump administration must give Abrego Garcia and his lawyers 72 hours’ notice before trying to deport him to another country. This waiting period is meant to make sure he has time to talk to his lawyers and challenge the choice of where he would be sent.

Abrego Garcia’s legal team praised these court decisions, calling them a strong rejection of the government’s actions and an important protection of his rights. But the rulings angered top Trump administration officials. For example, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin publicly criticized the decisions, saying Abrego Garcia would “never walk America’s streets again” and calling the judges’ actions “lawless and insane.”