Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Thursday it still doesn't know where it would deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia should he be released from pretrial detention.
"There's been no decision made, as he is not in ICE custody," said Thomas Giles, assistant director for ICE enforcement and removal operations. He gave the statement after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to disclose where he could be deported if released.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has anticipated its willingness to deport Abrego Garcia "as soon as possible" should be he released from Tennessee, where he is being held after being returned from a maximum security prison in El Salvador following his deportation, which the Trump administration admitted to be a mistake.
Giles went on to say that Abrego Garcia would be taken to a facility "based on bed space availability" and then deported within "a few days to a few weeks." He added that he would get a "fear interview if he claims fear of return." Abrego Garcia was initially barred from being deported to El Salvador because of fear of retaliation.
The Maryland man is set to remain in custody of U.S. marshals at least until a hearing next week.
CBS News reported that earlier on Thursday the Department of Justice said it was willing to not remove Abrego Garcia to a third country without following due process. It also said it would not send him to El Salvador without reopening his immigration case and terminating the order that bars his deportation to the Central American country. Judge Xinis has said the man should be given a "reasonable amount of time" to challenge his removal."
The man was flown back to the U.S. in early June after his case dominated headlines for weeks as the Trump administration failed to comply with a judge's ruling ordering his return. Upon return he was charged with human smuggling in Tennessee, which he has rejected.
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