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This
undated
photo
provided
by CASA,
an
immigrant
advocacy
organization,
in April
2025,
shows
Kilmar
Abrego
Garcia.
(CASA
via AP) |
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Kilmar
Abrego
Garcia,
29, was
detained
by
federal
immigration
agents
in
Beltsville,
Md., on
March
12,
2025,
while
his son,
pictured
here,
was in
the
backseat.
On April
4, 2025,
a
federal
judge
ruled
that the
Trump
administration
acted
illegally
when it
mistakenly
deported
Abrego
Garcia
to El
Salvador
and
ordered
that he
must be
returned
to the
United
States.
(Family
Photo) |
| |
Wrongly
Deported
Salvadoran
Man
Returns
to U.S.
to Face
Human
Smuggling
Charges
Tanya
Sommerfield
-
Immigration/Law
Tell Us
USA News
Network
WASHINGTON
- Kilmar
Abrego
García,
a
Salvadoran
man
whose
erroneous
deportation
to a
notorious
prison
in El
Salvador
sparked
a
high-profile
legal
standoff,
is back
in U.S.
custody
and now
faces
federal
human
smuggling
charges,
according
to court
documents
unsealed
Friday.
Abrego
García,
29, a
longtime
Maryland
resident
married
to a
U.S.
citizen,
was
indicted
on two
counts
related
to the
transportation
of
undocumented
migrants
for
profit.
The
charges
stem
from a
2022
traffic
stop in
Tennessee,
where
authorities
allege
he was
involved
in a
years-long
conspiracy
to move
undocumented
individuals—including
minors
and,
according
to
officials,
some
with
gang
affiliations—across
the
United
States.
Background:
Mistaken
Deportation
and
Legal
Battle
In
March,
Abrego
García
was
deported
to El
Salvador
and
confined
in the
country’s
maximum-security
Terrorism
Confinement
Center
(CECOT),
despite
a 2019
court
order
prohibiting
his
removal
due to
threats
from
local
gangs.
U.S.
officials
later
acknowledged
the
deportation
was an
“administrative
error,”
a move
that
drew
sharp
rebuke
from
federal
judges
and
immigration
advocates,
and led
to a
Supreme
Court
order
compelling
the
government
to
facilitate
his
return.
The case
became a
flashpoint
in the
debate
over the
Trump
administration’s
immigration
enforcement
tactics,
with
critics
accusing
officials
of
ignoring
court
orders
and due
process
protections.
Abrego
García’s
family
and
attorneys
have
consistently
denied
government
claims
linking
him to
the
MS-13
gang,
asserting
that he
has
never
been
convicted
of a
crime
and that
the
accusations
are
based on
unproven
allegations.
Details
of the
Smuggling
Allegations
Federal
prosecutors
allege
that
Abrego
García
participated
in a
decade-long
conspiracy
to
transport
thousands
of
undocumented
migrants
from
Texas to
other
parts of
the
country.
The 2022
Tennessee
traffic
stop,
which
led to
the
indictment,
involved
Abrego
García
driving
a
vehicle
with
eight
other
individuals
and
$1,400
in cash.
Law
enforcement
suspected
the trip
was part
of a
paid
smuggling
operation.
According
to the
Department
of
Homeland
Security,
Abrego
García
was
listed
in
federal
databases
as a
“validated”
MS-13
member,
though
his
attorneys
dispute
this
characterization
and say
there is
no
substantive
evidence
to
support
the
claim.
Legal
and
Political
Fallout
The
Justice
Department’s
decision
to
prosecute
Abrego
García
comes
after
months
of legal
wrangling
and
diplomatic
negotiations
between
the U.S.
and El
Salvador.
The
Supreme
Court’s
intervention
forced
the
government
to
return
him to
the
U.S.,
but
officials
have
indicated
they
will
seek his
removal
again if
he is
not
convicted.
Abrego
García’s
case has
drawn
national
attention,
with
immigration
advocates
arguing
that his
prosecution
is an
attempt
to
justify
his
wrongful
deportation
and to
undermine
court
protections
for
vulnerable
migrants.
“We
ought to
approach
these
allegations
with
skepticism,
and he
deserves
a fair
trial in
court,
as he is
not
receiving
one in
the
court of
public
opinion,”
said
Chris
Newman,
legal
director
for the
National
Day
Laborer
Organizing
Network.
The case
remains
ongoing,
with
Abrego
García
expected
to
appear
in
federal
court in
Tennessee
in the
coming
days.
Key
Facts:
Kilmar
Abrego
García,
wrongly
deported
to El
Salvador,
is back
in U.S.
custody
facing
two
federal
charges
of human
smuggling.
His
deportation
violated
a court
order
protecting
him from
removal
due to
credible
threats
from
gangs in
El
Salvador.
The
smuggling
charges
are
linked
to a
2022
incident
in
Tennessee
and an
alleged
decade-long
conspiracy.
The case
has
become a
focal
point in
the
debate
over
immigration
enforcement
and due
process
under
the
Trump
administration.
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