Overview

• An ICE email told Abrego Garcia his designated country of removal is now Eswatini after he raised fear claims, which the agency said he has asserted in at least 22 countries.
• DHS reposted the notice on X with a mocking caption, drawing attention to his broad fear claims even as his attorneys contest the government’s characterizations.
• In a separate court filing, the government said it would seek to send him back to El Salvador if his immigration case is reopened, arguing his prior withholding would no longer apply; he denies alleged MS-13 ties cited by officials.
• Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March, returned to the U.S. in June, and has pleaded not guilty to federal human-smuggling charges in Tennessee.
• U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis has kept an order in place restricting any transfer outside the continental U.S.; Abrego Garcia remains detained in Farmville, Virginia, and his lawyers say he fears persecution in Eswatini as well.