The Department of Homeland Security has ordered the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a high-profile illegal immigrant accused of human smuggling, to the southern African nation of Eswatini.
According to a removal notice obtained by Fox News, Abrego Garcia was initially set to be deported to Uganda.
But his attorneys argued that he feared persecution in that country and more than 20 others.
“Dear Mr. Abrego Garcia, as you know, the United States seeks to remove you from the United States based on your final order of removal. Currently, you are designated to be removed to Uganda. Your attorney has informed us, however, that you fear persecution or torture in Uganda,” the notice read.
The letter went on to mock the wide scope of his claims. “That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries.”
The list included El Salvador, Uganda, and 20 Latin American nations.
DHS concluded its notice by informing Abrego Garcia that his “new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa.”
The agency later shared the letter publicly on its official X account, captioning it, “Homie is afraid of the entire western hemisphere.”
Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, had previously been deported in March but returned illegally in June.
He is now on trial for human smuggling connected to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Police say he was caught transporting several non-citizens across the U.S., per the Conservative Brief.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has labeled him a “human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.” She also alleged he is a member of the MS-13 gang.
For now, Abrego Garcia remains in custody at an immigration detention facility in Virginia. His deportation to Uganda had been temporarily blocked by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, citing his claims of fear of persecution.
Democrats and immigrant-rights groups have rallied around Abrego Garcia, arguing that his case highlights what they call the Trump administration’s disregard for due process.
Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, pushed back hard against the accusations. “None of those things are true, full stop,” Newman told Fox News Digital. He accused the administration of “weaponizing the justice system” against his client.
“In essence, what the Trump administration has done is to use the highest office in the land to blackmail an innocent man into sacrificing his constitutional rights,” Newman said.
Court filings show the Justice Department offered Abrego Garcia a plea deal. In exchange for pleading guilty to two felony counts, he would be deported to Costa Rica, where officials promised he could live freely with residency or refugee status.
Abrego Garcia rejected that deal, leading ICE to inform his lawyers that deportation to Uganda would move forward unless he accepted the plea by Monday.
“There can be only one interpretation of these events,” attorney Sean Hecker wrote in a filing. “The DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat.”
The filing was submitted just a day after Abrego Garcia was released from a Tennessee jail, where he had been held since illegally reentering the United States earlier this summer.
