Court documents: Kilmar Abrego Garcia accused of years-long conspiracy transporting undocumented aliens to the US

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MARYLAND () — Court documents unsealed by a federal court in Tennessee Friday accuse Kilmar Abrego Garcia of facilitating the unlawful transportation of undocumented individuals to and throughout the United States for nearly a decade.
The documents claim Abrego Garcia was a member and associate of La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) — a claim his family and advocates have disputed since his wrongful deportation more than two months ago.
Since his deportation in March, Abrego Garcia had been imprisoned at a Salvadorian facility, with Trump administration officials fighting court rulings ordering his return. On June 6, news broke that he would be returning to the U.S. to
Tennessee police release video of Kilmar Abrego Garcia traffic stop in 2022
Simon Sandoval Moshenberg, one of his attorneys, said the move is an abuse of power.
'The government disappeared Kilmar to a foreign prison in violation of a court order. Now, after months of delay and secrecy, they're bringing him back, not to correct their error but to prosecute him. Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you're punished, not after. This is an abuse of power, not justice,' he said during a press conference.
From around 2016 through 2025, Abrego Garcia and others conspired to bring people from countries including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Ecuador, passing through Mexico before crossing into Texas, the newly-released court documents stated.
He and his co-conspirators knew the people they were transporting did not have authorization to enter the U.S., the Grand Jury alleged. Over the course of nearly a decade, they reportedly transported 'thousands of undocumented aliens who had no authorization to be present in the United States, and many of whom were MS-13 members and associates.'
The conspirators included five Salvadorian citizens and one person from Guatemala, in addition to Abrego Garcia. They reportedly received thousands of dollars for the scheme.
In 2021, one of the six conspirators was involved in the transportation of more than 150 migrants, which ended when the tractor-trailer carrying them overturned in Mexico. This resulted in the deaths of at least 50 migrants.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Investigators never arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Prince George's County police clarify
In addition to transporting undocumented immigrants and firearms at times, Abrego Garcia also transported narcotics from Texas to sell in Maryland, court documents claim.
He sometimes brought close relatives with him when he picked up undocumented individuals in Texas. On other occasions, he came alone.
When he did not bring a relative, he sometimes abused the women in the group, according to one of the conspirators.
'Knowing this was bad for business, [Co-Conspirator 6] reported these allegations of abuse … to [Co-Conspirator 1 and Co-Conspirator 2] and CC-6 directed CC-1 and CC-2 to cause [Abrego Garcia] to stop the abuse,' court documents read.
On Nov. 30, 2022, a state trooper with the Tennessee Highway Patrol stopped a Chevrolet Suburban on I-40. Abrego Garcia was reportedly driving and had nine passengers, all of whom were Hispanic men and none of whom had identification, according to court documents.
When asked where they were coming from, Abrego Garcia reportedly told the trooper they were in St. Louis for two weeks doing construction and were on their way back to Maryland.
The trooper noted that none of the passengers had luggage, nor were there any tools or construction equipment.
Court documents claim Abrego Garcia had given the trooper false information and that license plate reader data showed the Suburban had not been near St. Louis at any point in the last year, and had been in the Houston, Texas area within the week leading up to the traffic stop.
Abrego Garcia was charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Transport Aliens for Financial Gain, for which he faces a maximum of 10 years per alien transported, according to charging documents.
INITIAL COVERAGE: Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador due to 'administrative error,' court filings say
Abrego Garcia came to the United States as a teenager back in 2011, fleeing gang threats in his home country of El Salvador. In 2019, he was arrested over an unfounded allegation that he was involved with MS-13, which placed him in deportation proceedings.
However, an immigration judge ultimately found that Abrego Garcia was the one at risk of being a victim of gang violence. He and his relatives had testified that members were trying to extort them and recruit him and his brother to join. His family had been forced to move multiple times, ultimately leading Abrego Garcia and his brother to flee to the U.S. out of fear.
The judge said Abrego Garcia would likely face persecution if deported, granting him a form of legally mandated protection: 'withholding of removal.'
He had a permit from the Department of Homeland Security to legally work in the U.S. and was a sheet metal apprentice pursuing a journeyman license when ICE arrested him in March, his attorney told . His wife is also a U.S. citizen and they had been living in Maryland with their child.
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