Judges order release of 2 high-profile migrants
Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US and Mahmoud Khalil is allowed to go home — for now


What happened
A federal judge in Nashville Sunday denied a Trump administration motion to detain Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland man illegally deported to an El Salvador prison in March, as the government pursues unrelated federal criminal charges filed before he was brought back to the U.S. on June 6. In a separate high-profile Trump-era immigration case, former Columbia student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil returned to New York City, and his wife and newborn son, on Saturday after being released following more than three months of detention in Louisiana.
Who said what
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes ruled that the government had "failed" to prove Ábrego, 29, was a flight risk or danger to the community, and said many of the gang and human-trafficking allegations against him "defy common sense" or were based on "double hearsay" and other problematic testimony. Her ruling is the "latest twist in a saga that has resulted in multiple black eyes for Trump's mass deportation policy, including a rebuke from the Supreme Court," Politico said, though Ábrego is "unlikely to be released anytime soon."
New Jersey U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered Khalil's release on bail Friday, saying the government had not presented any legitimate reasons to keep him locked up. Khalil, 30, was the "first noncitizen activist to be arrested and detained" under Trump, The Washington Post said, and with 104 days behind bars, he was "detained far longer than any other targeted student and has not been accused of any crime."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Holmes set a Wednesday hearing on the conditions for Ábrego's release. But the government has already appealed her decision and ICE "will likely take him into custody and possibly try to deport him," The Associated Press said. The government is also still trying to deport Khalil.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
'Fossil-fired grids have provided a cautionary tale'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein
-
Judge halts GOP defunding of Planned Parenthood
Speed Read The Trump administration can't withhold Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, said the ruling
-
Trump contradicts Israel, says 'starvation' in Gaza
Speed Read The president suggests Israel could be doing more to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians
-
ICE builds detention camps and ramps up arrests
Feature The Trump administration's deportation efforts continue
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets