Until Friday, it wasn’t clear whether officials would let Abrego Garcia’s criminal trial conclude before they initiated any removal proceedings.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man illegally deported to El Salvador in March and returned in June to face human smuggling charges that he denies, is accusing the Trump administration of attempting to coerce him into a guilty plea by threatening to re-deport him to Uganda.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia plans to travel to Maryland before returning to Tennessee in January for his criminal trial.