A six-year-old procedural omission by an immigration judge has emerged as a central issue in the Trump administration’s effort to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an undocumented Salvadoran man whose case has stretched across multiple federal courts and drawn repeated scrutiny from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis.

The missing order—an overlooked step in 2019—may determine whether the administration can legally deport him at all.

Newsweek contacted the DOJ and attorneys for Abrego for comment via email outside of normal office hours on Friday.

Why It Matters

The fate of Kilmar Abrego Garcia now hinges on a basic procedural omission that may unravel the Trump administration’s most high-profile deportation effort.

A 2019 immigration ruling protected him from being sent to El Salvador but

See Full Page