(NewsNation) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia told supporters his head is “held up high,” one day after his release from immigration custody.
Abrego Garcia addressed a crowd outside the Baltimore ICE field office Friday morning before heading inside for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in.
“I stand before you as a free man, and I want you to remember me this way with my head held up high,” he said in Spanish. “I will continue to fight and stand firm against all the injustices this government has done upon me.”
On Thursday, a judge ordered Abrego Garcia’s immediate release from ICE custody, saying he was unlawfully held. The Maryland father of three has been at the center of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown after he was deported to a notorious Central American prison in March.
“The Trump administration’s behavior has been nothing less than shameful, from start to finish,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., calling Abrego Garcia’s unlawful deportation a “kidnapping.”
Supporters in the crowd chanted “Todos somos Kilmar” (“We are all Kilmar”) as he entered the ICE office.
“I want to tell everybody who is also suffering (from) family separation, God is with you. This is a process. Keep fighting,” Abrego Garcia said.
Abrego Garcia’s attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg announced that the judge has granted a temporary restraining order for Abrego Garcia, which prohibits him from being re-arrested at his Friday check-in.
“As a result of that, I’m pleased to announce that Mr. Abrego Garcia will be walking out those doors again,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said. “I wish I could say this is the end of the story, but I think we’ve all been here long enough to know that unfortunately, the government is not going to leave well enough alone.”
He said another hearing will take place in Maryland.