Abrego Garcia can remain free at least through end of the month

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia will remain free at least through the end of the month after a federal judge sought more information on whether the U.S. plans to detain or deport him again.

Judge Paula Xinis in Greenbelt, Maryland, asked the Department of Justice for additional details and set a schedule through Dec. 30. Abrego Garcia appeared at the court in person, but not in custody, for the first time Monday morning as he seeks to remain free while fighting criminal charges and attempts to deport him.

“It’s clear that the government is willing to do whatever it takes to put this man back in a detention center,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, a lawyer for Abrego Garcia, said after the hearing.

Abrego Garcia became a key figure in the U.S. crackdown on immigration after he filed a high-profile lawsuit in March challenging his accidental deportation to a notorious prison in El Salvador, part of a broader program of controversial mass deportations.

After being returned to the U.S., Abrego Garcia was hit with human smuggling charges that he says are retaliation for filing that suit. He now argues that U.S. officials are threatening to deport him again as payback for refusing to quickly plead guilty.

Xinis ordered Garcia’s release earlier this month citing a lack of legal grounds for his detention. She extended the order at Monday’s hearing until she can determine the government’s plans for the Salvadoran.

—Bloomberg News

DHS offers $3,000 ‘holiday stipend’ for undocumented immigrants to leave

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is offering undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the country a $3,000 “holiday stipend,” billing it as “the best gift that an illegal alien can give themselves and their families.”

DHS shared an Instagram post with a banner declaring “Limited Time Offer” in all caps across the top of a photo of a hand holding a phone with the CBP Home app on its screen. In the background is a decorated Christmas tree overlaid with text urging readers to “until the end of the year, take advantage of a $3,000 bonus to head home for the holidays!”

Underscoring the push is a message from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that also states U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill, which includes a free flight.

“During the Christmas Season, the U.S. taxpayer is so generously TRIPLING the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally — offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year,” Noem said in a statement. “Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”

The money is triple what the Trump administration was previously offering to those who leave the U.S. voluntarily.

—New York Daily News

Orlando removes artifacts from Pulse building, marking major step in new memorial

ORLANDO, Fla. — One by one, crew members slowly hauled out large wooden boxes filled with chandeliers, posters, a cash register, the top of a bar, and other items frozen in time from June 12, 2016.

It was nearly all that remained inside the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were killed during a mass shooting almost a decade ago.

Orlando officials said Monday’s artifact removal was an important step in finally building a permanent Pulse memorial, a goal long delayed by controversy and setbacks.

“I’m also very proud of the team today,” said Navid Erfan, Orlando’s facilities division manager, who oversaw the removal. “Because they’ve shown a lot of care and diligence in the process. It’s obviously a very sensitive process for a number of people.”

The sealed, specially built boxes were lifted onto flat-bed trucks behind the building and transported to a climate-controlled warehouse in Orlando, where the items will be stored until a permanent $12-million memorial is completed in late 2027.

All together, about 26 items were removed from inside the building just south of downtown Orlando.

City officials had notified survivors and family members of the victims last November through emails about Monday’s removal of the artifacts.

Most of those watching the removal — which lasted about an hour — were television crews and journalists. A small group of about half dozen people stood nearby, with some wiping away tears. They refused to comment.

Larger items — such as the flooring, which victims and family members had said holds a special significance for them — and the large Pulse sign overlooking Orange Avenue will be removed next spring, according to officials.

—Orlando Sentinel

Syria: Kurdish and government forces clash in Aleppo, civilians flee

DAMASCUS, Syria — Clashes erupted Monday evening in the northern city of Aleppo between forces affiliated with Syria's Defense Ministry and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, killing at least three civilians, state-media and monitoring group said.

The state-run Syrian News Agency, SANA, reported, citing the Interior Ministry, that two civilians had been killed and at least 15 others injured. The SDF reported one woman killed and 17 civilians injured.

The clashes prompted wave of civilian displacement amid rising security concerns.

Residents told dpa that heavy weapons were used in the fighting. meanwhile, video footage showed government tanks moving into the area of clashes.

The SDF attacked positions held by security forces, the Syrian Defense Ministry said.

Local residents also reported the deployment of large numbers of government troops along the front lines controlled by Kurdish forces.

Meanwhile, the SDF said that two members of its Internal Security Forces in Aleppo were injured after factions affiliated with the Damascus government attacked a checkpoint which they were manning.

In a statement, the SDF described the incident as part of an "uncontrolled escalation" that threatens civilian lives and city-wide security, holding the Damascus government fully responsible.

SANA reported that an ambulance was also fired upon. Several people were injured.

—dpa