Overview
- U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis set a Nov. 21 motions hearing and confirmed the government will honor her injunction, preventing removal for now.
- ICE notified courts it sought to deport him to Liberia as early as Oct. 31 after Ghana, Eswatini and Uganda declined, while the defense questioned Liberia’s assurances and pointed to Costa Rica as a lawful option.
- Xinis pressed Justice Department lawyers on why deportation would precede proceedings in Tennessee and noted removal could effectively end the criminal case.
- In Nashville, U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw barred DOJ and DHS officials from prejudicial public statements about Abrego Garcia and warned of possible sanctions.
- Crenshaw ordered production of internal communications and scheduled a Nov. 4–5 evidentiary hearing on claims of selective and vindictive prosecution, with a decision pending on subpoenas for senior officials.