Last updated 4/23/25 at 9:32am ET
AllSides is tracking the latest developments and updates on controversial deportations under the Trump administration. See daily developments on the cases of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, Rumeysa Öztürk, Mahmoud Khalil, and others.
People are being deported despite being legal US residents. Reasons range from anti-Israel speech, to alleged gang affiliations, to “administrative errors”. Some are accusing the Trump administration of stifling First Amendment rights and other constitutional protections.
“Visiting America is not an entitlement,” said an op-ed from Secretary of State Marco Rubio published in April. “It is a privilege extended to those who respect our laws and values. And, as Secretary of State, I will never forget that.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- A Congressional delegation traveled to Louisiana to demand the release of Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil.
- El Salvador's government rejected a request from four House Democrats to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
- Mahmoud Khalil was denied a temporary release from detention to meet his newborn son.
- Mohsen Mahdawi said he's "in good hands" at the Vermont prison where he's been detained.
Unauthorized* - Kilmar Abrego García
Removed from the U.S.
Latest Updates:
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El Salvador's government rejected a request from four House Democrats to visit Abrego Garcia.
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released documents regarding Abrego Garcia's criminal history, which included allegations of domestic abuse, marijuana possession, and suspicions of involvement in human trafficking. No criminal convictions were included in the documents.
Immigration Status: Abrego Garcia was a temporary protected US resident. He arrived in the US illegally in 2011 as a 16-year-old. In 2019, an immigration judge granted him "withholding of removal" status over purported threats to his life from gang violence in El Salvador. The ruling barred the government from sending Abrego Garcia to El Salvador specifically, but technically allowed for him to be deported to a different country.
Reason for Deportation: Trump administration officials said Abrego Garcia was sent to an El Salvadorian prison due to an “administrative error,” but continue to describe him as a member of the MS-13 gang. “This was just one of those examples of an individual that is a MS-13 gang member, multiple charges and encounters with the individuals here, trafficking in his background, was found with other MS-13 gang members—very dangerous person, and what the liberal left and fake news are doing to turn him into a media darling is sickening,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Opposition: Abrego Garcia’s family and others contend that he has no criminal record and that there’s no evidence of him being gang-affiliated.
More News Coverage:
House Dems demand 'proof of life' of Abrego Garcia after being denied meeting in El Salvador (Source: Fox News, Right bias)
Trump Admin Releases Documents on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s 2019 Arrest, Domestic Abuse Allegations
Common Ground: Many Call for Abrego Garcia's Return From El Salvador
Supreme Court Pauses Deadline to Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to US
Maryland Man Wrongly Deported to El Salvador Prison, Judge Orders Return to the US
Green Card Holder - Mohsen Mahdawi
Detained in the U.S.
Latest Update: US immigration enforcement detained Mahdawi in Vermont on April 14.
Immigration Status: Mahdawi became a legal permanent US resident in 2015, according to a file from his court case.
Reason for Deportation: The Trump administration hasn’t commented on Mahdawi’s deportation. It’s suspected to be in connection with his pro-Palestine activism on Columbia University’s campus.
Opposition: “This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal,” three lawmakers from Vermont, where Mahdawi was arrested, said in a statement. “Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.”
More News Coverage:
“The War Must Stop”: Detained Palestinian Green Card Holder Mohsen Mahdawi Calls for End to Gaza War (Source: Democracy Now, Left bias)
Who Is Mohsen Mahdawi? Another Columbia Student Detained By Immigration Officials (Source: Forbes, Center)
Student Visa - Rumeysa Öztürk
Removal case opened
Latest Update:
- On April 20, a judge ruled that Öztürk must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont.
- Öztürk was denied bond April 16 by an immigration judge on the grounds of being a “flight risk” and a “danger to the community.”
- Öztürk’s attorneys argued in court on April 14 that her arrest was unconstitutional.
- Days before her detention, the State Department reportedly found no evidence that Öztürk participated in antisemitic activities or supported a terrorist organization, as the Trump administration has claimed.
Immigration Status: Öztürk, a 30-year-old doctoral student from Turkey, held an F-1 visa, which allows foreign students to complete coursework in the US. Her visa has since been terminated.
Reason for Deportation: The administration says Öztürk engaged in activities “in support of Hamas.” In 2024, she co-wrote an op-ed for the Tufts University newspaper criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Opposition: "This was done to chill her speech and send a clear, chilling message to everyone watching: If you engage in speech that the administration disagrees with, you will be punished," one of her lawyers said.
More News Coverage:
Congressional delegation visits grad student, PhD student held in ICE detention (Source: The Hill, Center bias)
ICE-Detained Pro-Palestinian Tufts Student Must Be Moved to Vermont, Judge Rules (Source: Epoch Times, Lean Right)
Are Recent Deportations Targeted State Abductions or National Security Measures?
Tufts PhD Student Detained by DHS
Green Card Holder - Mahmoud Khalil
Lost removal case
Latest Update: Khalil is currently detained in Louisiana. On April 17, he wrote an op-ed for Washington Post (Lean Left bias), saying his detainment showed how "the most basic human instinct, to protest shameless massacre, is being repressed by obscure laws, racist propaganda and a state terrified of an awakened public." On April 12, an immigration judge ruled that Khalil can be deported.
Immigration Status: Khalil has a green card, making him a legal US resident.
Reason for Deportation: Khalil played a key role in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized as antisemetic. Government officials have accused Khalil of supporting Hamas terrorism. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, citizen deportation is legal if there is “reasonable ground to believe [an immigrant] would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the US.
Opposition: Those against Khalil’s deportation argue that his involvement in protests is protected speech and deporting someone based solely on their political views is illegal. They argue the government lacks evidence of any connections to terrorist organizations and attacks on Palestinian speech are based in political retribution.
More News Coverage:
Congressional delegation visits grad student, PhD student held in ICE detention (Source: The Hill, Center bias)
US Immigration Judge Rules Columbia University Graduate Mahmoud Khalil Can Be Deported
Mahmoud Khalil Calls Himself a 'Political Prisoner' In Letter From Detention Center
Pro-Palestinian Activists Occupy Trump Tower Lobby in Protest of Mahmoud Khalil Arrest
Student Visa - Kseniia Petrova
Detained in the U.S.
Latest Update: Petrova's first immigration court hearing is April 22. Before her detainment, she worked at Harvard Medical School assisting with cancer research.
Immigration Status: Petrova held a J-1 scholar visa, which was canceled after her detention.
Reason for Detention: Petrova was detained in February 2025 at Boston's Logan Airport after reportedly failing to declare samples of frog embryos to be used in her scientific research. She is being held at an immigrant detainment center in Louisiana.
Opposition: “It appears to be part of a broader effort to create an unwelcoming and hostile environment for noncitizens,” her lawyer said.
More News Coverage:
New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them (Source: NBC, Lean Left bias)
Unauthorized - Merwil Gutiérrez
Removed from the U.S.
Latest Update: The 19-year-old Venezuelan’s family is pleading for his transfer back to the US from El Salvador.
Immigration Status: It’s unclear what his exact legal status in the US was; he reportedly applied for temporary protected status when he arrived in the US in 2023.
Reason for Deportation: The Trump administration hasn’t commented on Gutiérrez’s deportation.
Opposition: William Parra, an immigration attorney from Inmigración Al Día, told Newsweek: "Merwil was detained for hanging out with friends and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. ICE was not looking for him, nor is there any evidence whatsoever that Merwil was in any gang."
More News Coverage:
ICE Agents Realize They Arrested Wrong Teen, Say 'Take Him Anyway' (Source: Newsweek, Center bias)
Student Visa - Alireza Doroudi
Removal case opened
Latest Update: On Thursday, a judge denied Doroudi bond, saying he "failed to meet the burden of showing that he was not a threat to national security." Lawyers for Homeland Security previously told a judge they are not able to provide evidence that Alireza Doroudi is a national security risk.
Immigration Status: Doroudi was in the US on a student visa, which has since been canceled.
Reason for Deportation: Following his arrest DHS said, “ICE HSI made this arrest in accordance with the State Department’s revocation of Doroudi’s student visa. This individual posed significant national security concerns.”
Opposition: Doroudi has no criminal record and has not participated in any anti-government protests.
More News Coverage:
Are Recent Deportations Targeted State Abductions or National Security Measures?
Asylum Seeker - Andrys Cedeno-Gil
Removed from the U.S.
Immigration Status: Cedeno-Gil entered the US as an asylum-seeker with an appointment to seek protection in the US from persecution, according to his lawyer.
Reason for Deportation: Immigration officials deported Cedeno-Gil and more than 100 other Venezuelans on the grounds that they're members of Tren de Aragua, a violent criminal gang.
Opposition: "He has a strong claim. He was detained at entry because ICE alleged his tattoos are gang related. They are absolutely not," his lawyer said. "He is a makeup artist who loves theater. He is a gay man. He is close to his family."
More News Coverage:
Venezuelan Asylum Seeker Possibly Wrongfully Deported to El Salvadorian Prison