The development came after a Justice Department attorney told a Judge Xinis that the government's "plan at this stage" is to deport Abrego Garcia to a third country if he is released on bond by a judge in Tennessee, where he is facing human smuggling charges.

The Justice Dept. argued Salvadoran man Kilmar Abrego Garcia's suit over his mistaken deportation should be moot.

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.