In a stinging legal rebuke on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis sharply criticized the Trump administration for its persistent refusal to detail any efforts to secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident wrongfully deported to a dangerous prison in El Salvador.
“For weeks, Defendants have sought refuge behind vague and unsubstantiated assertions of privilege, using them as a shield to obstruct discovery and evade compliance with this Court’s orders,” Judge Xinis wrote in her order, blasting the administration’s lack of transparency.
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She made it clear the court’s patience had run out, stating, “Defendants have known, at least since last week, that this Court requires specific legal and factual showings to support any claim of privilege. Yet they have continued to rely on boilerplate assertions. That ends now.”
The judge issued a firm deadline, instructing that by 6 p.m. On Wednesday, the administration must submit a comprehensive legal justification for withholding information. She further condemned what she described as a “willful and bad faith refusal to comply with discovery obligations.”
Judge Xinis also criticized the administration’s conduct, referencing a dismissive five-word tribute to the Pope as evidence of its flippant approach to legal obligations, told AP News.
Just two weeks earlier, the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that mandates the administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return from the notorious Salvadoran facility. The White House, however, continues to argue it is powerless to act, blaming El Salvador for the delay.
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has pushed back on this narrative, asserting he lacks the legal authority to unilaterally release Abrego Garcia.
Meanwhile, Trump officials insist any steps taken or considered to bring Abrego Garcia home are protected by a combination of legal privileges, including attorney-client confidentiality, state secrets, and general governmental protections.
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Legal scholars and critics say the administration’s approach is contributing to a broader constitutional crisis, accusing the president of undermining judicial authority. The White House counters that the judiciary is overstepping its bounds.
Judge Xinis’ decision follows a series of escalating confrontations between the courts and the Trump administration. Last week, a federal panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lambasted the administration’s claim of inaction as “shocking.” In a separate case, a Washington D.C. judge even found probable cause to hold the administration in criminal contempt for defying deportation-related flight orders.
Although top Trump officials have publicly linked Abrego Garcia to MS-13, those claims have not been presented in court. The administration has, in fact, admitted in legal filings that his deportation was due to an “administrative error.”
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