The U.S. government would initiate deportation proceedings against Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he's released from jail before he stands trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee, a Justice Department attorney told a federal judge in Maryland on Monday.

The Trump administration will take steps to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia before he goes to trial in Tennessee if he’s released from criminal custody, which could happen as soon as next week, a Justice Department attorney said Monday.

The Justice Department’s “current plan” is to send Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a third country — not El Salvador — if the wrongly deported Maryland man is freed from federal