After mistaken deportation, Abrego Garcia fights smuggling charges. Here’s what to know
The man whose mistaken deportation galvanized opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies is charged in federal court in Tennessee with human smuggling. A judge this week will hear arguments on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds of “vindictive prosecution.” The judge previously found some evidence to support the motion. The judge cited a statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Justice Department charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful-deportation case. The local prosecutor in Tennessee argues Blanche’s statements are irrelevant because he’s not the person who made the decision to indict. Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran citizen who’s lived in Maryland for years.