Kilmar Ábrego García’s story has become a flashpoint in the ongoing battle over immigration and government power in the U.S. The 30-year-old husband and father once again finds himself at risk of deportation — this time to Uganda — after surrendering to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Baltimore on Monday.

Ábrego García’s ordeal began long before this latest twist. In March, under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, he was wrongfully deported to a prison in El Salvador despite a court order protecting him from removal. The Supreme Court later ordered his return, and he was flown back to the U.S. in June. But almost immediately, he was arrested in Tennessee on human smuggling charges — charges he has consistently denied.

Even though a judge ruled he should be released while awaiting trial, Ábrego García remained in jail for months as his lawyers fought to prevent a second deportation before his case could be heard. Last Friday, he was finally reunited with his wife, Jennifer Vásquez Sura, after five months behind bars. The reunion, however, was bittersweet — by Monday, he was back in ICE custody.

His legal team argues that the government is punishing him for challenging his wrongful deportation. They point to what they describe as coercive tactics: offering deportation to Costa Rica if he pleads guilty, or threatening to send him to Uganda if he doesn’t.

“The fact that they’re holding Costa Rica as a carrot and using Uganda as a stick … is such clear evidence that they’re weaponizing the immigration system,” said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of his attorneys.

Ábrego García has now filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, naming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing that his treatment is unconstitutional and politically motivated.

For Ábrego García and his family, the stakes could not be higher. For immigrant rights advocates, his case is seen as a test of how far a government can go in using deportation as leverage — and whether the courts will step in to stop it.