The US Supreme Court has temporarily paused a lower court order that required the Trump administration to return Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, to the United States by midnight on April 7, 2025.234+2 This administrative stay, granted by Chief Justice John Roberts, gives the Supreme Court more time to consider the administration’s request to block the order while litigation continues.

• Background: Kilmar Abrego García was deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, despite a 2019 protective order that should have prevented his removal. The Trump administration acknowledged the deportation was an “administrative error” but argued it cannot bring him back because he is in Salvadoran custody.
• Lower Court Decision: US District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the administration to return Abrego García by midnight on April 7, 2025, ruling that his deportation was “wholly lawless” and violated his due process rights.
• 4th Circuit Court: The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration’s request to stay the lower court’s order, emphasising that the government has no legal authority to deport a person without due process.
• Supreme Court Action: The Supreme Court’s temporary pause, known as an administrative stay, does not set a new deadline but gives the justices more time to review the case.
• Impact: This decision leaves Abrego García in a Salvadoran prison for the time being, while the legal battle over his deportation continues. His lawyers have expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will resolve the matter quickly.