U.S. Deports Salvadoran Man to Face Trafficking Charges After Mistaken Deportation

Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old El Salvadoran man deported in March, has returned to the U.S. to face serious trafficking charges. His lawyer describes the accusations as unfounded, while the U.S. supports its claims of significant involvement in a smuggling ring.

Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old from El Salvador, has been brought back to the United States to confront two federal criminal charges after being mistakenly deported in March. Allegations against him include involvement in a trafficking conspiracy that spans several years, during which he purportedly facilitated the movement of undocumented migrants from Texas to various locations across the country. The U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that El Salvador consented to his return after U.S. authorities provided an arrest warrant.

His attorney dismissed the charges as “preposterous,” suggesting that the case stems from an administrative error. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April demanding his return, the Biden administration faced a prolonged legal showdown before ultimately facilitating his reintegration into the American legal system.

A grand jury indictment filed in Tennessee last month and unsealed on Friday accuses Mr. Ábrego García of conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. According to the indictment, he had a "significant role" in a smuggling operation that allegedly moved thousands of illegal immigrants into the U.S. repeatedly since 2016, and it is claimed he transported gang members from MS-13, a group labeled a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

Previous assertions by the Trump administration regarding Mr. Ábrego García’s affiliation with the gang have been vehemently denied by him. Although Bondi has alleged he was also trafficking weapons and drugs for the gang, he faces no formal charges related to those claims.

Having appeared in court in Nashville for his initial hearing on Friday, he remains in federal custody while an arraignment hearing is scheduled for June 13. There, Judge Barbara Holmes may decide whether to detain him pending trial.

Critics of the administration, including Mr. Ábrego García’s legal representatives, argue that his deportation reflected an abuse of governmental authority. Attorney Simon Sandoval Moshenberg characterized the situation as a "disappearance" of Mr. Ábrego García to a foreign prison, asserting that this action violates legal due process.

Originally entering the U.S. illegally as a teenager, Mr. Ábrego García was previously granted protection from deportation by an immigration judge on the grounds of potential gang persecution upon returning to his home country. On March 15, his deportation occurred as part of a broader crackdown by the Trump administration, invoking the Alien Enemies Act to facilitate his removal.

As Mr. Ábrego García navigates the American legal system with upcoming hearings, discussions regarding constitutional rights and the implications of his case continue, drawing attention to the complexities of immigration policy and enforcement. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has affirmed the cooperation with the U.S. in returning a person accused of gang affiliation under such requests, leaving observers to reflect on the institutional responses surrounding such contentious issues.