U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis issued a temporary restraining order Monday afternoon prohibiting the Trump administration from deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda.

Judge Xinis, during a brief hearing on Monday, announced her intention to extend an existing hold on Abrego Garcia’s deportation while she evaluates a new legal challenge regarding the government’s plans to send him to Uganda. Under the new order, the government is forbidden to remove Abrego Garcia from the continental United States.

Xinis expressed concerns that deporting him to Uganda could circumvent a previous court ruling that prevents his removal to El Salvador. She noted a stark contrast between Uganda’s lack of assurances for Abrego Garcia’s safety and legal status compared to Costa Rica’s previous offer to accept him with full residency rights and freedom of movement.

Abrego Garcia, 30, was taken into custody Monday morning when he reported to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore for a mandatory check-in, just three days after his release from criminal detention in Tennessee. He was essentially under house arrest with an ankle monitor until his Jan. court date.

His attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said ICE officers provided no explanation for the detention and refused to specify which detention facility Abrego Garcia would be transferred to.

The case stems from Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation to El Salvador in March 2025, despite a 2019 court order that prohibited his removal to that country due to fears of gang persecution. The Trump administration later acknowledged this was an “administrative error” and eventually brought him back to the United States in June to face federal human smuggling charges.

The Supreme Court had previously ordered the administration to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return from El Salvador’s notorious CECOT terrorism prison, where he had been detained for months. Abrego Garcia, who has lived in Maryland with his wife and three children who are U.S. citizens, has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem characterized Abrego Garcia as “an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator”. However, his family and attorneys vehemently deny these allegations, particularly the MS-13 gang membership claims.

Court documents reveal that the government had offered Abrego Garcia a plea deal involving deportation to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges. After he rejected this offer, the administration announced plans to deport him to Uganda instead.

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect at least until a hearing scheduled for later this week, during which Judge Xinis plans to conduct an evidentiary hearing with witnesses. She has also ordered that Abrego Garcia remain at the ICE detention facility in Virginia where he was transferred after his arrest.