A federal judge strongly criticized former President Donald Trump’s administration for deliberately refusing to follow court rules in a case about a man named Kilmar Ábrego Garcia. He’s a father from Maryland who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador by the U.S. government—a fact the government has admitted.
The judge, Paula Xinis, said the administration has been trying to block the investigation by hiding behind vague excuses and claiming “privilege” without providing real proof. She accused them of using these weak justifications to avoid sharing important information with the court.
This strong reaction came after Judge Xinis had already told the government to give her daily updates about their efforts to bring Ábrego Garcia back to the U.S. She also dismissed the Trump administration’s claim that they can’t help because Garcia is no longer under their control. The judge pointed out that even if another country is involved, the U.S. government still has the power to act and should be working with El Salvador to fix their mistake.
In her latest order, the judge demanded that the government respond to all remaining questions and provide proper explanations for their use of privilege. They have until 6 p.m. on April 23, 2025, to comply. Her message was clear: the administration has not only failed to cooperate, but they’ve done so on purpose—and the court won’t accept it.
