(CNN) — A federal judge in Maryland ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from ICE custody “immediately,” according to a Thursday court filing , a significant development in the case concerning the El Salvadoran man mistakenly deported this year before being returned to the United States.

Abrego Garcia’s wrongful deportation has been the basis of a fraught legal battle that’s included tense confrontations between the judge and the Justice Department. It has also come to embody the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and aggressive posture in trying to deport immigrants to far-flung countries.

“Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” district Judge Paula Xinis wrote. “For this reason,

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