Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man at the center of a long-running legal and political controversy over U.S. immigration enforcement, must be released from custody and returned to Maryland, two federal judges ruled Wednesday in separate decisions.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis barred federal immigration authorities from immediately taking Kilmar Abrego Garcia into custody once he is released from criminal confinement in Tennessee.

The filing took aim at comments last week in which the homeland security secretary “assailed Mr. Abrego’s character and reputation," his attorney said.

A federal judge in Tennessee declined on Wednesday to undo a separate judge’s decision to let Kilmar Abrego Garcia remain free while he awaits trial on human smuggling charges — though he’ll continue to remain behind bars for at least another month.