Judge in Abrego Garcia case indicates she's weighing contempt proceedings against Trump administration

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the administration has done "nothing" to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, even though court orders have required action by officials.

The judge presiding over the case of a man who was mistakenly deported by the U.S. government to a prison in El Salvador suggested Tuesday that she was weighing contempt proceedings against the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered administration officials to turn over evidence of their efforts to help bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. since she first ordered them to "facilitate" his return, saying the government had not shown her anything of note on that front.

“I’ve gotten nothing,” Xinis said. “I’ve gotten no real response, and no real legal justification for not answering,” she continued, adding that if the administration is not going to answer her questions “then justify why. That’s what we do in this house.”

Attorneys for Abrego Garcia had asked that the administration be found in contempt of court over its inaction. The judge said she wants to review the evidence the administration submits, which is expected to include sworn depositions, before ruling on the matter.

She ordered officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to sit for the depositions, and for the administration to hand over documents by the end of the month to see what steps its taken to comply with her order.