If you’ve been searching “where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia now,” you’re not alone. The Salvadoran father at the center of one of the year’s most contentious immigration fights has bounced between courtrooms, detention centers, and headlines since his mistaken deportation in March 2025. After months of legal whiplash—first a wrongful removal to El Salvador despite a standing protection order, then a court-ordered return to the United States to face federal smuggling charges, then new detention battles—his exact status can feel confusing.
This article brings you up to date with verified facts from reputable outlets and court reporting, explains how he ended up here, clarifies what his current detention means, and outlines what to watch next. Along the way, we’ll naturally weave in related terms people use when they search this topic—ICE custody, deportation, asylum, Moshannon Valley Processing Center, federal indictment, and court orders—so you get the complete picture in one place.
The short answer: Where is he right now?
As of September 28, 2025, Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. He was transferred there from a Virginia facility, a move ICE told his attorneys would make legal access easier; his lawyers raised concerns about conditions at Moshannon in court filings.
A federal judge has also blocked any immediate deportation until at least early October 2025, when additional proceedings are scheduled in Maryland—part of a parallel fight over whether the government can remove him again while his legal challenges are pending.
How did the case get here? A quick recap
In March 2025, Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador despite a prior U.S. immigration judge’s order shielding him from removal to that country. That deportation ignited a political and legal firestorm, culminating in orders from federal courts—including an extraordinary directive to facilitate his return to the United States. By early June, he was flown back—but not to walk free. Instead, he appeared in federal court to face human-smuggling charges arising from an earlier indictment in Tennessee. Multiple mainstream outlets, including AP, Reuters, and ABC News, document this sequence.
Today’s status in plain English
He is in ICE detention in Pennsylvania
The latest and most precise data point is his transfer to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, as disclosed in court records and reported by the Associated Press. Advocates have criticized the conditions there in past filings, and his legal team has flagged concerns about medical care and safety; nonetheless, ICE says the transfer was partly to improve access to counsel.
He is protected from immediate deportation—temporarily
Separately, a federal judge in Maryland has placed a hold on any removal until at least October, ensuring the court can review whether prior government actions complied with the law and whether another deportation (reportedly being considered for third countries like Uganda or Eswatini) would be lawful. Multiple outlets have covered the injunction and the shifting government position on potential destinations.
He still faces a federal criminal case
While custody status has seen-sawed, the criminal case in Tennessee continues. In June, when he was brought back to the U.S., he appeared in court on charges tied to transporting people unlawfully inside the country; judges in late June sparred over whether he could be released without risking a fast-track removal, and at one point a magistrate ordered him held amid concerns about immediate deportation on release. Coverage by NPR affiliates, ABC News, and other media outlets tracks these steps.
Why Moshannon matters in this story
What is the Moshannon Valley Processing Center?
Moshannon is a contract detention facility that houses immigration detainees. Transfers to Moshannon frequently surface in litigation because attorneys argue that the remote location can complicate family visits and monitoring; government lawyers often counter that it improves access to attorneys, depending on the case. In Abrego Garcia’s matter, ICE notified counsel of the move, and his team immediately flagged conditions concerns—alleging “assaults, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food” in recent reports and filings. Those competing narratives are documented in the latest AP dispatch.
What does the transfer signal say about the strategy
Transfers can signal a government strategy to centralize high-profile detainees in facilities with standardized access procedures or to place them nearer to particular court districts and legal teams. Here, the record shows ICE citing access, while the defense continues to frame detention as unnecessary and risky. Either way, for anyone searching “where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia now,” the geolocation point is clear: Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. The legal threads to watch next
The Maryland civil litigation over removal
The Maryland case is where judges have barred deportation pending further review. Reports note that the court’s October schedule will probe government compliance with prior orders and whether proposed removals (including to Uganda and later Eswatini) meet legal standards. These developments were covered by national outlets, which documented the evolving government position.
The Tennessee criminal case
Back in June, the government unsealed an indictment alleging Abrego Garcia participated in a multi-year migrant-transport scheme inside the U.S. That’s the case that brought him before a Tennessee judge. Early skirmishes addressed whether he could be released without risking another deportation; at least one order kept him in custody after defense counsel warned release might trigger immediate ICE action. Reporting by Reuters, AP, and NPR affiliates provides the broad contours, but as with any pending federal case, specific allegations remain to be tested at trial.
Why are there two tracks
It can be confusing to see immigration detention running in parallel with a criminal prosecution. In short, criminal custody deals with the indictment in Tennessee. Immigration custody (now at Moshannon) deals with whether he can be removed from the U.S. at all. The Maryland court is policing removal; Tennessee is handling the criminal charges. Different judges, different standards, overlapping consequences—hence the intense litigation and frequent headlines.
How we got here: the mistaken deportation
In March, Abrego Garcia’s case exploded onto the national stage when he was deported to El Salvador despite a prior order barring his removal there, a step later described by the government as an “administrative error.” Courts pressed the administration to reverse course and facilitate his return, and by early June, he was back—but in the custody of the U.S. Marshals to face charges, rather than in the community with his family. Major outlets have chronicled this unusual chain of events, including the government’s efforts to defend, then unwind, aspects of its earlier actions.
What this means for families and communities watching the case
Abrego Garcia’s saga has become symbolic—for immigrant families, advocates, and critics of the system alike—of how administrative errors, competing court jurisdictions, and political rhetoric can collide in a single file. For his family, the difference between a live-in parent and one behind barbed wire has turned on emergency motions, late-night injunctions, and the choice of which detention center he’s sent to—first in Virginia, now Moshannon. For communities watching, the case highlights the importance of due process in immigration enforcement and the severe consequences that can result when systems fail.
Timeline highlights you can trust
March 2025: Wrongful deportation
He was removed to El Salvador in contravention of an existing protection order, prompting litigation and sharp judicial criticism.
June 2025: Returned to the U.S., appears in court
Under pressure from federal courts, he has been brought back and appears in Tennessee on smuggling charges; newsrooms from AP to Reuters and ABC cover the hearing.
Late June 2025: Detention disputes
Judges in Tennessee consider release conditions amid fears of immediate removal if he were to walk out; NPR affiliates detail why a magistrate kept him in custody at the time.
August 2025: Deportation temporarily blocked
A Maryland federal judge bars removal until October, ensuring more judicial review. National outlets track the order.
September 2025: Transfer to Pennsylvania
ICE transfers him to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, PA, citing access to counsel; the defense raises concerns in its filings.
Conclusion
So, where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia now? He is in ICE custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, and a federal court order currently blocks his deportation until at least early October 2025, when judges will weigh fresh arguments. Meanwhile, the Tennessee criminal case continues on its own track. If you’re tracking this story for family, policy, or legal reasons, those are the three anchors: location, deportation stay, and criminal proceedings. We’ll see the following decisive updates as courts reconvene in October—and any changes in custody or venue will be reflected quickly in filings and mainstream coverage.
FAQs
Q: Where is Kilmar Abrego Garcia today?
As of September 28, 2025, he is at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, according to recent court filings reported by the Associated Press.
Q: Is he being deported again?
Not right now. A federal judge has blocked deportation until at least early October 2025, pending further hearings in Maryland.
Q: What charges is he facing in Tennessee?
He faces federal counts related to transporting people unlawfully within the U.S. He appeared in court soon after being returned to the country in June 2025; detention decisions since then have weighed the risk of immediate removal.
Q: Why did ICE move him to Pennsylvania?
ICE told counsel that the transfer would improve access to legal representation; however, his lawyers raised concerns about conditions at Moshannon in filings noted by the AP.
Q: Could he be sent to a third country like Uganda or Eswatini?
The government has floated those possibilities, but they are not authorized at the moment; the Maryland court’s stay keeps any removal on hold until at least October while judges examine the legality of such moves.
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