Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been moved from a Virginia detention center to a facility in Pennsylvania.
Abrego Garcia, 30, became a flashpoint over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown when he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador.
The Trump administration claimed he was a member of the MS-13 gang, an allegation that Abrego Garcia denies and for which he wasn’t charged.
Court records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified Abrego Garcia’s lawyers Friday that he was transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Phillipsburg.
It said the location would make it easier for them to access him.
However, his attorneys raised concerns about conditions at Moshannon, saying there have been recent reports of “assaults, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food,” according to a federal court filing.
The administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. in June, but only to face human smuggling charges. His lawyers have called the case preposterous and vindictive.
Trump’s immigration court
The U.S. is supposed to follow a multi-step process for deporting someone to a nation that isn’t their home country, according to immigration attorneys.
For example, an immigration officer is supposed to conduct a reasonable fear interview, during which Abrego Garcia can raise concerns about persecution and torture. If the officer disagrees, Abrego Garcia can ask an immigration judge to review the decision. From there, Abrego Garcia can go to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Immigration judges are part of the Justice Department and under the Trump administration’s authority. Trump has been firing immigration judges, many appointed by former President Joe Biden, as part of his immigration crackdown.
However, Abrego Garcia can contest a Board of Immigration Appeals decision in the federal courts, which are part of the nation’s independent judiciary.
