Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national facing human smuggling charges in the U.S., is accusing the Trump administration of using deportation threats to pressure him into accepting a guilty plea. After being deported to El Salvador in March and returned to the U.S. in June, Abrego now claims the Department of Justice is leveraging his deportation destination as a bargaining tool.

According to court documents, federal prosecutors offered Abrego a plea deal on two felony charges. If accepted, he would be deported to Costa Rica, which, according to the government, would accept him as a refugee and ensure he would not be returned to El Salvador. However, after Abrego rejected the plea, ICE allegedly informed his attorneys that he would be deported to Uganda instead — unless he agreed to plead guilty by Monday.

Abrego’s attorney, Sean Hecker, argued in court filings that this amounted to coercion, saying the government is making his client choose between “relative safety” in Costa Rica or potential danger in Uganda. The pressure comes just after the Trump administration reached an agreement with Uganda to accept certain third-country deportees from the U.S., though the deal reportedly excludes individuals with criminal records and minors.

Abrego’s lawyers are asking a federal judge to dismiss the case, calling it politically motivated retaliation. Abrego had previously been protected from deportation due to threats from gangs in El Salvador, where he says he endured beatings and mistreatment while imprisoned after his March removal.

He denies all charges and allegations of gang affiliation. Currently under ICE supervision, Abrego is scheduled to report to immigration officials in Baltimore on Monday.