Kilmar Ábrego García was not supposed to be deported to El Salvador because of a 2019 immigration judge’s ruling that granted him "withholding of removal" status. This legal protection barred his deportation to El Salvador due to a credible fear of persecution by gangs, specifically Barrio-18, which had threatened and extorted his family. The ruling allowed him to live and work legally in the United States with a work permit issued by the Department of Homeland Security. He complied with annual ICE check-ins, lived in Maryland with his U.S. citizen wife and children, and had no criminal convictions in the U.S. or El Salvador.