Kilmar Abrego Garcia is facing deportation to Liberia. ( Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Nevertheless, lawyers for Abrego Garcia argue that he has not received sufficient due process to justify his deportation.
"The Government insists that the unreasoned determination of a single immigration officer—who concluded that Abrego Garcia failed to establish that it is 'more likely than not' that he will be persecuted or tortured in Liberia— satisfies due process. It does not," his attorneys wrote in their own Friday filing.
His attorneys further argue that Abrego Garcia is the victim of retaliatory prosecution, noting that Costa Rica has already offered to accept his deportation flight on a refugee status. The U.S. said it would not send him to Costa Rica unless he agreed to plead guilty to human trafficking charges.
ABREGO GARCIA RELEASED FROM JAIL, WILL RETURN TO MARYLAND TO AWAIT TRIAL
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blamed "activist" judges for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia earlier this year. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)
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Earlier in the case, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys cited more than 20 countries he allegedly fears would persecute or torture him if he were removed there. Liberia was not among those listed.
"Liberia is a thriving democracy and one of the United States’ closest partners on the African continent," the DOJ argued in October.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/final-hurdles-cleared-deport-abrego-garcia-liberia-trump-admin-says