A U.S. judge ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García, who was deported in error and returned on smuggling charges, but the Trump administration asserts he will not be set free, citing safety concerns amid ongoing immigration and criminal matters.
U.S. Government Declares Salvadoran Deportee Kilmar Ábrego García 'Will Never Go Free'
U.S. Government Declares Salvadoran Deportee Kilmar Ábrego García 'Will Never Go Free'
The Trump administration declares that Kilmar Ábrego García, a deported Salvadoran man facing human smuggling charges, will remain detained despite a judge’s order for his release.
The Trump administration has firmly stated that Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran man who was mistakenly deported and later brought back to the United States on criminal charges, "will never go free" despite a judge's recent order for his release. Mr. Ábrego García was deported in March as part of a broader immigration crackdown, a process officials later acknowledged was flawed, yet they faced challenges in facilitating his return.
Recently transported to Tennessee, he was charged with human smuggling by the Justice Department. In a ruling on Sunday, the presiding judge indicated that Mr. Ábrego García could be released while awaiting trial but warned that immigration officials retained the authority to detain him again.
"The government failed to prove" that he presented any immediate threats to minors, was likely to flee, or could obstruct justice, Judge Barbara Holmes ruled. Following his release by the Justice Department, it's expected that immigration authorities would re-arrest him as part of efforts to deport him again.
Mr. Ábrego García is accused of engaging in a human trafficking conspiracy, dating back to 2016, involving the transportation of undocumented migrants across multiple states, including Texas and Maryland, more than 100 times. He has entered a plea of not guilty. While the Trump administration has labeled him a dangerous criminal who allegedly belongs to the notorious MS-13 gang, Mr. Ábrego García and his legal representatives have rejected these claims vehemently.
His initial deportation occurred on March 15 amid sweeping immigration policies enacted by the Trump administration, which invoked the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate such removals. Following his deportation to a notorious incarceration facility in El Salvador, characterized by harsh conditions, an ensuing legal battle began. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually mandated that the government support Mr. Ábrego García’s return to his residence in Maryland.
Having immigrated illegally to the U.S. as a minor from El Salvador, Mr. Ábrego García had previously been granted protection from deportation in 2019 due to fears of persecution by local gangs in his home country. Now, he faces a precarious legal situation as authorities continue grappling with complex issues of immigration and public safety.
