Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador prison, to face federal charges in Nashville
Protesters outside the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland in Greenbelt rally on April 4, 2025, in support of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father who was deported to El Salvador in an 'administrative error,' calling for him to be returned to the U.S. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man the Trump Administration conceded had been wrongly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison, has been returned to the United States and is scheduled to be arraigned in a Nashville federal court on Friday.
A two-count Tennessee grand jury indictment, issued May 21 and unsealed Friday, alleges Abrego Garcia and unnamed co-conspirators were members of the MS-13 gang and 'knowingly and unlawfully transported thousands of undocumented aliens' for profit between 2016 and 2025.
The indictment, filed in the Middle District of Tennessee, accuses Abrego Garcia 'of conspiracy to unlawfully transport illegal aliens for financial gain' and 'unlawful transportation of illegal aliens for financial gain.' The indictment does not name nor charge any alleged co-conspirators.
In a separate motion filed Friday, prosecutors seek to keep Garcia in detention, alleging he is a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Wrongly deported Maryland man Abrego Garcia returned to U.S.
Chris Newman, an attorney representing the Abrego Garcia family said at a virtual press event Friday that he remained skeptical of the federal charges lodged at Abrego Garcia.
'I can tell you that we should all treat whatever charges that are being leveled against him with a high degree of suspicion,' Newman said.
'We should make sure that he gets a fair (trial) in court because he's clearly not getting a fair hearing in the court of public opinion,' he said.
Abrego Garcia's deportation served as a flashpoint for the Trump Administration's mass deportations of immigrants without a hearing or ordinary due process rights that give immigrants —– and all U.S. residents —– the right to defend themselves against charges of illegal activities.
In April, the Supreme Court ruled the Trump Administration had to 'facilitate' Abrego Garcia's return to the United States. For the next two months, administration officials said Abrego Garcia's return was out of their hands and up to the government of El Salvador.
On Friday, in a nationally televised news conference, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi thanked Nayib Bukele, that nation's president, for agreeing to Abrego Garcia's release.
The criminal charges filed in Nashville are tied to a November 2022 traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Abrego Garcia was driving an SUV with nine Hispanic men when he was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 40 in Putnam County about 80 miles east of Nashville, court records said. He was not charged in the incident.
Prosecutors now allege that further investigation revealed the stop involved Abrego Garcia smuggling migrants within the United States illegally.
Rob McGuire, who has served as acting U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee since last year, and lawyers for the Joint Task Force Vulcan —– a unit established specifically to investigate MS-13 gang members —– are listed in court records as prosecutors in the case.
ABC News, citing unnamed sources, reported late Friday that the decision to pursue an indictment against Abrego Garcia led to the abrupt resignation of Ben Schrader, former chief of the criminal division for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office on Friday referred requests for information about the date and circumstances of Schrader's departure, including a copy of any letter of resignation, to a human resources officer, who did not immediately respond on Friday.
Schrader, in a LinkedIn post two weeks ago, announced his resignation from the job he held for 15 years.
Schrader wrote 'the only job description I've ever known is to do the right thing, in the right way, for the right reasons.'
Schrader did not give a reason for his resignation in his public post and did not respond Friday to a an email sent to his address at Vanderbilt University, where he is listed as holding a teaching post.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia indictment
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Hegseth Defends Deployment of Troops to Los Angeles at Testy Hearing
In response to often sharp questioning from House Democrats on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Pentagon's deployment of nearly 5,000 active-duty Marines and National Guard members to help the police in Los Angeles quell sporadic unrest. Mr. Hegseth, a former National Guardsman, also suggested in testimony before the House Appropriations Committee that the use of the Guard, part-time citizen soldiers, for homeland defense would expand under President Trump. 'I think we're entering another phase, especially under President Trump with his focus on the homeland, where the National Guard and Reserves become a critical component of how we secure that homeland,' Mr. Hegseth told lawmakers. Officials in Los Angeles, as well as other major cities across the country controlled by Democrats, have expressed concern that the military deployments in California could set a precedent and serve as a test run for other urban areas where the administration's aggressive immigration enforcement could prompt large protests. Mr. Hegseth defended the deployment on Monday of 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 Marines, telling lawmakers, 'We ought to be able to enforce immigration law in this country.' The secretary had several testy exchanges with Democrats on the committee, who challenged him on the efficacy and cost of the deployments. At one point, he ignored direct questions from Representative Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the committee's defense panel, about the cost to deploy troops to Los Angeles. Instead, Mr. Hegseth used his time to attack Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles and the Biden administration. A clearly frustrated Ms. McCollum yielded back her time. When he was questioned again on the mission's projected costs, Mr. Hegseth deferred to the Pentagon's acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said that Marine and National Guard deployments — estimated to last 60 days — would cost about $134 million, mainly for travel, housing and food. John Ismay contributed reporting.
Washington Post
43 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Hegseth's return to Congress turns heated as Democrats go on offense
Congressional Democrats on Tuesday clashed repeatedly with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, demanding details on the Trump administration's sparsely outlined defense budget request and admonishing him for a string of controversies — including his deployment of thousands of military personnel to Los Angeles over the objections of California's governor. Hegseth's appearance before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee was the first of four hearings scheduled over the next week and, from the outset, offered a forecast what is likely to be a series of explosive exchanges as lawmakers air frustration with the former Fox News host's unabashed partisanship since taking the helm of what has traditionally been a staunchly apolitical institution
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
California National Guard Case Assigned to Judge Charles Breyer
California's lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's deployment of troops to respond to protests in Los Angeles was assigned to a San Francisco federal judge, who will decide if the move was unlawful as Governor Gavin Newsom and the president trade blame. US District Judge Charles Breyer, who was appointed by Bill Clinton and is the brother of retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, will oversee the case.
