Delays continue for Belle Chasse Bridge tolling date
BELLE CHASSE, La. (WGNO) — The tolling date for the Belle Chasse Bridge has been delayed.
Officials with the Belle Chasse Bridge and Tunnel Replacement Project announced that tolling on the bridge will now start on Tuesday, April 22. Tolling was last set to start on Wednesday, April 16.
Chris Brown adds New Orleans to 'Breezy Bowl XX' tour
Bridge officials said the delay is due to signage installation.
Drivers are still being advised to set up a GeauxPass account to get a free, required transponder sticker.
'Using a GeauxPass offers ease of conveyance over the bridge and a reduced toll rate in every category. Drivers who opt not to use a GeauxPass will receive a toll invoice mailed to the address connected to their vehicle registration,' a news release states.
Mississippi River rises above 11 feet at Carrollton Gage, Phase I flood fight activated
According to bridge officials, Plaquemines Parish residents can qualify for resident toll rates by using a GeauxPass, operating a class 1 vehicle and showing proof of residency through a driver's license and vehicle registration with a Plaquemines Parish address.
For more information, visit the Belle Chasse Bridge and GeauxPass websites.Suspect in Vacherie teen shooting death found guilty
White House on tariff deal with Beijing: 'The ball is in China's court'
Suspect in arson attacks at Tesla showroom, New Mexico GOP headquarters facing 40 years in prison
White House: Abrego Garcia deportation to El Salvador 'always going to be end result'
Why every MLB player will wear the same number Tuesday
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kilmar Abrego pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in Nashville court
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges against him in a Nashville federal court. He is accused of conspiracy to transport aliens and unlawful transportation of undocumented aliens. Abrego Garcia, 29, entered his plea alongside his attorneys in the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville at 10:13 a.m. June 13. Attorneys are also expected to argue on a motion to keep Abrego Garcia in detention while the case is pending. Abrego Garcia's wife read a statement from him at a news conference before the hearing, asking people to "keep praying and keep fighting that the light will always come soon." Both prosecutors and defense are heavily staffed for the case. Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who leads all federal prosecutors in Nashville, and lawyers from the U.S. Department of Justice are representing the federal government. Abrego Garcia's attorneys include the local Federal Public Defender Dumaka Shabazz and three assistant public defenders. "This has the feel of a case that's going to be very heavily litigated," said Jack Chin, a professor at the University of California Davis School of Law. The charges against Abrego Garcia were revealed when a federal indictment against him was unsealed June 6, the same day the U.S. flew him back from the Central American country it had deported him to. Abrego Garcia appeared in the Nashville courthouse that day, where he was read the charges against him. Since then, he has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals. More: How a routine traffic stop in TN exploded into human smuggling charges for Kilmar Abrego Garcia The government argued in court filings that Abrego Garcia should stay behind bars while the case proceeds because he is a danger to the community and there's a risk he could leave the country. To support that argument, prosecutors alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of notorious street gang MS-13 and that the crimes in this case involved minor victims, a factor given special consideration in determining if someone can be detained pretrial. Prosecutors pointed to Abrego Garcia's illegal entry to the country in 2012 and former run-ins with law enforcement as proof he has "no regard for the rule of law." However, there are specific circumstances that must be met for a judge to order a person's detention, and defense attorneys argue the government has not proven its case. "[T]he government isn't even entitled to a detention hearing in this case — much less detention," defense attorneys wrote in a filing from June 11. "Mr. Abrego Garcia should be released." They argued Abrego Garcia does not have an incentive to flee and in fact may have a basis for a new asylum claim after he was illegally deported to a Salvadoran mega-prison. As for the MS-13 allegation, Abrego Garcia has denied his membership in the gang, but defense attorneys argue that even if he were a member, that alone is not enough reason to keep him detained. Defense attorneys also said the crimes did not involve minor victims, because no children were alleged to have been harmed in transit. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a detainer against Abrego Garcia. If U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes rules prosecutors cannot detain Abrego Garcia before trial, he would leave Marshals custody but be transferred to ICE custody due to the detainer, Chin said. However, once Abrego Garcia is in ICE custody, his attorneys may be able to secure his release. An immigration judge may decide to grant Abrego Garcia bail from ICE custody, Chin said. A crowd of at least 100 people had gathered outside the Fred D. Thompson Federal Courthouse by 9:45 a.m. At a nearby news conference, Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, read a message from her husband to the reporters and community members who'd gathered. "To all the families still fighting to be reunited after a family separation, or if you too are in detention, Kilmar wants you to have faith," Vasquez Sura said. "He said these dark times are where we're facing all of the tribulations God has put in our path. But keep praying and keep fighting that the light will always come soon for all of us, and you too will be able to see your family again." The crowd at the news conference chanted, "We are all Kilmar, we are all Kilmar." This case is separate from the civil case over Abrego Garcia's deportation. Prosecutors say between 2016 and 2025, Abrego Garcia was part of a conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants from various countries in Central and South America into and within the U.S. They say Abrego Garcia's role was generally to pick up immigrants in the Houston area and drive them to other locations in the U.S. The charges were filed in the Middle District of Tennessee because he was stopped in Cookeville in 2022 driving a Chevrolet Suburban with nine men the indictment suggests were undocumented immigrants. The Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers who pulled him over allowed him to leave, giving him only a warning for driving on an expired license. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Kilmar Abrego pleads not guilty to criminal charges in Nashville court
Los Angeles Times
18 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in Tennessee federal court
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in President Trump's immigration crackdown, pleaded not guilty on Friday to human smuggling charges in a federal court in Tennessee. The plea was the first chance the Maryland construction worker has had in a U.S. courtroom to answer the Trump administration's allegations against him since he was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The Republican administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. last week to face criminal charges related to what it said was a human smuggling operation that transported immigrants across the country. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with nine passengers. His lawyers have called the allegations 'preposterous.' Friday's hearing will also focus on whether Abrego Garcia should be released from jail while awaiting trial on the smuggling charges. A federal judge will hear arguments from Abrego Garcia's lawyers and attorneys for the U.S. government. Before the hearing began in Nashville, Abrego Garcia's wife told a crowd outside a church that Thursday marked three months since the Trump administration 'abducted and disappeared my husband and separated him from our family.' Her voice choked with emotion, Jennifer Vasquez Sura said she saw her husband for the first time on Thursday. She said, 'Kilmar wants you to have faith,' and asked the people supporting him and his family ''to continue fighting, and I will be victorious because God is with us.'' Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living in the United States for more than a decade before he was wrongfully deported by the Trump administration. The expulsion violated a 2019 U.S. immigration judge's order that shielded him from deportation to his native country because he likely faced gang persecution there. While the Trump administration described the mistaken removal as 'an administrative error,' officials have continued to justify it by insisting Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. His wife and attorneys have denied the allegations, saying he's simply a construction worker and family man. U.S. attorneys have asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, describing him as a danger to the community and a flight risk. Abrego Garcia's attorneys disagree, pointing out he was already wrongly detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison thanks to government error and arguing due process and 'basic fairness' require him to be set free. The charges against Abrego Garcia are human smuggling. But in their request to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, U.S. attorneys also accuse him of trafficking drugs and firearms and of abusing the women he transported, among other claims, although he is not charged with such crimes. The U.S. attorneys also accuse Abrego Garcia of taking part in a murder in El Salvador. However, none of those allegations is part of the charges against him, and at his initial appearance June 6, the judge warned prosecutors she cannot detain someone based solely on allegations. One of Abrego Garcia's attorneys last week characterized the claims as a desperate attempt by the Trump administration to justify the mistaken deportation three months after the fact. 'There's no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,' private attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. In a Wednesday court filing, Abrego Garcia's public defenders argued the government is not even entitled to a detention hearing — much less detention — because the charges against him aren't serious enough. Although the maximum sentence for smuggling one person is 10 years, and Abrego Garcia is accused of transporting hundreds of people over nearly a decade, his defense attorneys point out there's no minimum sentence. The average sentence for human smuggling in 2024 was just 15 months, according to court filings. The decision to charge Abrego Garcia criminally prompted the resignation of Ben Schrader, who was chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. He posted about his departure on social media on the day of the indictment, writing, 'It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.' He did not directly address the indictment and declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. However, a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter confirmed the connection. Although Abrego Garcia lives in Maryland, he's being charged in Tennessee based on a May 2022 traffic stop for speeding in the state. The Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera video of the encounter that was released to the public last month shows a calm exchange between officers and Abrego Garcia. It also shows the officers discussing among themselves their suspicions of human smuggling before sending him on his way. One of the officers says, 'He's hauling these people for money.' Another says Abrego Garcia had $1,400 in an envelope. Abrego Garcia was not charged with any offense at the traffic stop. Sandoval-Moshenberg, the private attorney, said in a statement after the video's release that he saw no evidence of a crime in the footage. Meanwhile, the lawsuit over Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation isn't over. Abrego Garcia's attorneys have asked a federal judge in Maryland to impose fines against the Trump administration for contempt, arguing that it flagrantly ignored court orders forseveral weeks to return him. The Trump administration said it will ask the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it followed the judge's order to return him to the U.S. Loller, Mattise and Finley write for the Associated Press. Finley reported from Norfolk, Va.
Chicago Tribune
27 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleads not guilty to human smuggling charges in federal court
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Kilmar Abrego Garcia pleaded not guilty to human smuggling charges during an arraignment in federal court in Tennessee on Friday. Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living legally in the United States before he was wrongfully deported in March. His case has become a rallying point for opposition to President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. Facing mounting pressure to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., the Trump administration brought him back last week. However, he was immediately taken into custody on new criminal charges filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. In court filings, prosecutors accused him of being a dangerous member of the notorious MS-13 gang, but the charges against him are only for transporting people who were in the country illegally. Still, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. He is accused of transporting hundreds of people over many years, and the maximum sentence for transporting each person is 10 years. Before the hearing began in Nashville, Abrego Garcia's wife told a crowd outside a church that Thursday marked three months since the Trump administration 'abducted and disappeared my husband and separated him from our family.' Her voice choked with emotion, Jennifer Vasquez Sura said she saw her husband for the first time on Thursday. She said, 'Kilmar wants you to have faith,' and asked the people supporting him and his family ''to continue fighting, and I will be victorious because God is with us.'' Abrego Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador who had been living in the United States for more than a decade before he was wrongfully deported by the Republican administration in March. The expulsion violated a 2019 U.S. immigration judge's order that shielded him from deportation to his native country because he likely faced gang persecution there. While the Trump administration described the mistaken removal as 'an administrative error,' officials have continued to justify it by insisting Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang. His wife and attorneys have denied the allegations, saying he's simply a construction worker and family man. Trump's administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. last week to face criminal charges related to what it said was a human smuggling operation that transported immigrants across the country. The charges stem from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee during which Abrego Garcia was driving a vehicle with eight passengers. His lawyers have called the allegations 'preposterous.' U.S. attorneys have asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, describing him as a danger to the community and a flight risk. Abrego Garcia's attorneys disagree, pointing out he was already wrongly detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison thanks to government error and arguing due process and 'basic fairness' require him to be set free. The charges against Abrego Garcia are human smuggling. But in their request to keep Abrego Garcia in jail, U.S. attorneys also accuse him of trafficking drugs and firearms and of abusing the women he transported, among other claims, although he is not charged with such crimes. The U.S. attorneys also accuse Abrego Garcia of taking part in a murder in El Salvador. However, none of those allegations is part of the charges against him, and at his initial appearance June 6, the judge warned prosecutors she cannot detain someone based solely on allegations. A Chicago Bulls hat triggered a man's deportation — and profiling of such apparel and tattoos could be on the riseOne of Abrego Garcia's attorneys last week characterized the claims as a desperate attempt by the Trump administration to justify the mistaken deportation three months after the fact. 'There's no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,' private attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. In a Wednesday court filing, Abrego Garcia's public defenders argued the government is not even entitled to a detention hearing — much less detention — because the charges against him aren't serious enough. Although the maximum sentence for smuggling one person is 10 years, and Abrego Garcia is accused of transporting hundreds of people over nearly a decade, his defense attorneys point out there's no minimum sentence. The average sentence for human smuggling in 2024 was just 15 months, according to court filings. The decision to charge Abrego Garcia criminally prompted the resignation of Ben Schrader, who was chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee. He posted about his departure on social media on the day of the indictment, writing, 'It has been an incredible privilege to serve as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice, where the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.' He did not directly address the indictment and declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. However, a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter confirmed the connection. Although Abrego Garcia lives in Maryland, he's being charged in Tennessee based on a May 2022 traffic stop for speeding in the state. The Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera video of the encounter that was released to the public last month shows a calm exchange between officers and Abrego Garcia. It also shows the officers discussing among themselves their suspicions of human smuggling before sending him on his way. One of the officers says, 'He's hauling these people for money.' Another says Abrego Garcia had $1,400 in an envelope. Abrego Garcia was not charged with any offense at the traffic stop. Sandoval-Moshenberg, the private attorney, said in a statement after the video's release that he saw no evidence of a crime in the footage. Meanwhile, the lawsuit over Abrego Garcia's mistaken deportation isn't over. Abrego Garcia's attorneys have asked a federal judge in Maryland to impose fines against the Trump administration for contempt, arguing that it flagrantly ignored court orders forseveral weeks to return him. The Trump administration said it will ask the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that it followed the judge's order to return him to the U.S.
