Kilmar Abergo Garcia's release from federal custody delayed after lawyers warn of possible deportation

Washington — A federal magistrate judge said Monday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and then was returned to the United States to face criminal charges of human smuggling, will remain in federal custody until at least mid-July.

Abrego Garcia's lawyers had asked the judge Friday to delay his release, warning that the Trump administration had made conflicting statements about whether he will be deported after he is released ahead of a trial.

The brief order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes is the latest development in the case involving Abrego Garcia, whose removal to El Salvador in March emerged as a flashpoint in President Trump's immigration agenda and promise of mass deportations of immigrants in the U.S. unlawfully.