Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges – Washington Examiner
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, pleaded not guilty to federal human smuggling charges in a Tennessee court. Accused of trafficking undocumented immigrants across the U.S. southern border as part of a long-running operation since 2011, Garcia, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, appeared before U.S.Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes. Federal prosecutors are seeking to detain him based on claims of being a flight risk adn potential witness intimidation, given his alleged connections to the violent gang MS-13. Garcia’s legal troubles have drawn significant attention amid the ongoing national debate over immigration policies under the Trump governance, particularly following his controversial deportation to El Salvador. He has been fighting for his return to the U.S., arguing that deportation poses a threat to his safety, as indicated by a previous ruling from an immigration judge.
Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran national at the center of a legal firestorm over President Donald Trump‘s immigration policies, pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal human smuggling charges.
Abrego Garcia was arraigned Friday in Tennessee federal court, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, and pleaded not guilty to two federal charges accusing him of trafficking illegal migrants across the southern border as part of an alleged multiyear operation during his illegal stint in the United States since 2011.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes presided over the arraignment in Nashville, where the court also heard arguments about whether Abrego Garcia, who entered the U.S. illegally over a decade ago, should remain in custody while awaiting trial. The 29-year-old faces allegations that he transported undocumented immigrants for profit, with prosecutors claiming he has ties to the violent gang MS-13.
Federal prosecutors urged the court to keep him detained, warning that he posed a flight risk and could threaten witnesses. Abrego Garcia has denied any gang affiliation and is fighting the government’s efforts to keep him jailed, asserting the charges alone don’t warrant pretrial detention.
Abrego Garcia has become a lightning rod in the national debate over the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, including his expanded use of wartime deportation laws and accelerated removals, after Abrego Garcia was first deported in March. His attorneys with the American Civil Liberties Union fought for his return to the U.S. on the basis that an immigration judge in 2019 ruled he could be deported to anywhere but El Salvador, partially siding with the migrant’s concerns of retaliation by rival gangs.
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He was deported without a hearing on March 15 to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland later ordered his return, a ruling the Supreme Court partially upheld, but the Trump administration did not facilitate his repatriation until last Friday, after his May 21 indictment by a grand jury in Tennessee was unsealed.
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