The case has sparked significant controversy, raising questions about the due process rights of migrants and the actions of the Trump administration in handling deportations.
**US Man Wrongfully Deported to Return for Trafficking Charges**
**US Man Wrongfully Deported to Return for Trafficking Charges**
Kilmar Ábrego García is back in the US after being mistakenly deported to El Salvador. He faces serious federal charges of conspiracy in a trafficking operation.
Kilmar Ábrego García, a 29-year-old from El Salvador, has been brought back to the US to face two federal criminal charges after being mistakenly deported in March. Accused of being involved in a trafficking conspiracy that transported individuals from Texas to various states across the US, he now faces a significant legal battle. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that El Salvador agreed to release García following a US-issued arrest warrant.
Previously, the White House resisted a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return after his deportation to a mega-jail in El Salvador alongside over 250 deportees. A grand jury indictment filed in Tennessee highlighted two charges against him: conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented individuals. Bondi stated that García was found to have played a "significant role" in smuggling activities.
The allegations suggest that García was responsible for transporting undocumented individuals across state lines, and he is also accused of aiding members of the MS-13 gang, which the US designates as a foreign terrorist organization—claims which he has denied. Furthermore, Bondi alleged that he trafficked weapons and drugs for the gang, although he faced no charges related to those claims.
García's attorneys argue that he has no criminal record either in the United States or El Salvador, branding the charges against him as "preposterous" and a case of "abuse of power." Mr. Simon Sandoval Moshenberg criticized the government's actions at a news conference, accusing them of violating a court order by deporting García and subsequently seeking prosecution instead of rectifying a mistake.
García originally entered the US illegally as a teenager. In 2019, he was granted protection from deportation on the grounds of potential gang violence upon his return to El Salvador. However, he was deported in March amid a stringent immigration crackdown led by the Trump administration utilizing a wartime law.
Following legal and political pressure, including an intervention by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, García was eventually detained in a different prison in El Salvador, marking the beginning of a complicated legal scenario regarding his rights and the circumstances of his deportation.
On Friday, El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, stated that the country did not refuse to return a gang member if requested. García is expected to appear in a Tennessee court, where prosecutors will argue for his pretrial custody due to concerns that he poses a flight risk and a danger to the community. The unfolding case has implications for immigration policy and the rights of deported individuals, igniting discussions about due process and governmental accountability.
Previously, the White House resisted a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return after his deportation to a mega-jail in El Salvador alongside over 250 deportees. A grand jury indictment filed in Tennessee highlighted two charges against him: conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented individuals. Bondi stated that García was found to have played a "significant role" in smuggling activities.
The allegations suggest that García was responsible for transporting undocumented individuals across state lines, and he is also accused of aiding members of the MS-13 gang, which the US designates as a foreign terrorist organization—claims which he has denied. Furthermore, Bondi alleged that he trafficked weapons and drugs for the gang, although he faced no charges related to those claims.
García's attorneys argue that he has no criminal record either in the United States or El Salvador, branding the charges against him as "preposterous" and a case of "abuse of power." Mr. Simon Sandoval Moshenberg criticized the government's actions at a news conference, accusing them of violating a court order by deporting García and subsequently seeking prosecution instead of rectifying a mistake.
García originally entered the US illegally as a teenager. In 2019, he was granted protection from deportation on the grounds of potential gang violence upon his return to El Salvador. However, he was deported in March amid a stringent immigration crackdown led by the Trump administration utilizing a wartime law.
Following legal and political pressure, including an intervention by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, García was eventually detained in a different prison in El Salvador, marking the beginning of a complicated legal scenario regarding his rights and the circumstances of his deportation.
On Friday, El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, stated that the country did not refuse to return a gang member if requested. García is expected to appear in a Tennessee court, where prosecutors will argue for his pretrial custody due to concerns that he poses a flight risk and a danger to the community. The unfolding case has implications for immigration policy and the rights of deported individuals, igniting discussions about due process and governmental accountability.
